Cycling Weekly’s News Editor, Adam brings us his weekly view on developments at the highest levels of the sport. This piece is part of Leadout, a newsletter series from Cycling Week and Cycling News. To get it in your inbox, subscribe here. As always, email [email protected] – if you want to add something, or suggest a topic.
I struggle with my mental health. The first time you confess in public, it can feel overwhelming. I am far from alone in my struggles with depression and anxiety. I’m not exceptional, I’m not brave enough to do it, but it’s a living part of my daily existence, which has become more normal in recent years – thank you – thank you. Struggle is no longer shameful, nor is asking for help. Whether that help is available is another question, and there is no simple solution, but acknowledging the struggle is one step in the process. For me, the process began six years ago, but for others, perhaps the journey is just beginning.
Last week, however, one professional cyclist was brave in speaking out about their mental health struggles. Pro cycling is no stranger to riders opening up about their struggles, from Marcel Kettle to Tom Dumoulin via Jenny Reswieds, but Leo Hatter’s blog post was very honest in detail, explaining exactly what happened. He had passed it.
“A lot of people have noticed that I’m absent again this year,” he said. “Without going into too much detail, I’ve been struggling for a few years. In late May I was diagnosed with depression, and although the symptoms improved at first, I found myself again Found in the same place. I’m broke this year and haven’t been training/racing for a while.
Although this type of situation is becoming more common, it is heartwarming to hear someone in the public eye talk about their mental health struggles. Hatter is only 22 years old, and hopefully has time to recover and still have a cycling career, but if not, a life. He comes from a generation that has the knowledge and language to explain what is happening to them, the confidence to do so, and also to do something about it. He is a young man who is not trying to bottle it up, just to fight. This is refreshing to see in a world where suicide is still the leading cause of death for men under 50. Sharing helps.
“I hope that by writing this and making it public, it will make it easier for me to connect with my friends, see people, do normal things,” Hayter wrote. Heather wrote. “I haven’t ridden a bike in months, but I’m not living either.”
This is the hope we all have when we talk publicly about our mental health. It’s not to signal virtue, or join in, it’s often either looking for catharsis, or offering help. That friend of yours who seems distant, that friend who hasn’t responded to your texts? There may be more to the situation than you realize.
Hatter’s situation is a reminder that we rarely know what goes on in a rider’s life. A confusing string of results on Procycling Stats – Hayter did the Tour of Hungary in May this year and hasn’t set a number since – that’s all we have to go on.. It’s easy to say that “Please”, but perhaps the answer is to think a little more about why someone ended up promising once, or why a rider didn’t hang at one point. We don’t know what’s going on, beyond what we see on TV or get from interviews. Even those that seem to work well may not; I know very well that someone who may seem calm above the water may be jumping furiously to stay there.
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Hatter isn’t the only one to come to the realization that results in cycling don’t equal satisfaction in life. Cormick Nesbitt, who rides for Sodal’s Fast Step development team, announced on Monday that he was quitting cycling because it simply did not bring him joy.
“The last few months have been very difficult for me as a goal [to be a pro cyclist] Gone,” he wrote on Instagram. “I’ve come to terms with the fact that the lifestyle I once envisioned as a child was no longer the future I was pursuing.”
While it’s sad that Nisbet is leaving the sport, and Hatter is putting his career on hiatus, it’s good to see young people change things, and that being honest is the first step. All strength and solidarity to them. Hopefully Haier’s story and the integrity of hygiene will inspire more conversations in the future.
In England, the mind Recommend a set of resources if you are struggling with your mental health. Samaritans Can be contacted on 116 123 or email [email protected].
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