"Explore the journey of a cyclist traversing Britain's coastline, a mission aimed at encouraging men to take up cycling and initiate discussions about a crucial issue: the high rate of suicide among men globally."
Britain's Perimeter Ride: A Mental Health Awareness Journey
Chris Hall, a cyclist, videographer, designer, fundraiser, and an ex-architect, is undertaking a self-supported bikepacking ride around the perimeter of Britain. This ride is not just a personal challenge, but a campaign to spotlight men's mental health issues through a long-distance cycling adventure.
Hall embarked on this ride as part of the Movember campaign, a charity focused on improving mental health awareness among men. Last Friday, he began his journey at the Movember headquarters in London. His route covers the entire perimeter of Britain, cycling through England, Scotland, and Wales, effectively circumnavigating the island.
The ride is to raise money for the men's mental health charity, Movember. Hall has struggled with his mental health throughout his life and finds solace in cycling. For him, it has been a coping mechanism and a means to deal with stress and depression. He views this ride as an opportunity to create space for difficult conversations while traveling around the country.
Hall's journey is self-supported, meaning he carries all his gear and supplies without external assistance. This highlights the endurance and commitment involved. He has been riding thousands of kilometers, including stretches through cities like Edinburgh in Scotland. Daily video updates track his progress along this extensive loop, showing diverse terrain and varying conditions over many days of riding.
The ride has garnered attention in cycling communities through social media and video updates, inspiring fellow cyclists by showcasing the feasibility and challenge of self-supported long-distance rides. It also raises the profile of cycling as a tool for charity and mental health advocacy.
Hall was joined by a local cycling club in Kings Lynn for a day's journey. The cycling club serves as a space for men to share their worries, fears, joys, and passing thoughts. Cycling next to others allows for easy conversation to flow, and Hall found this to be beneficial for his mental health.
Suicide is the biggest global killer of men, according to Hall. In the UK, three out of four suicides are by men, and one in five men between 16 and 29 had moderate to severe depressive symptoms in 2021. Hall's journey across the UK is not about breaking records or doing it as fast as possible. Instead, it aims to create a safe space for conversations about mental health.
The route of Hall's ride was planned over four years, but he has had to make adjustments along the way based on local recommendations. You can track his journey via his website, and as of now, he is seven days and 1400 kilometers into his self-supported bike ride around Britain.
In summary, Chris Hall's self-supported perimeter ride serves as a strenuous endurance effort that doubles as a vital fundraising and awareness campaign for men's mental health with Movember. His journey resonates within cycling communities and beyond, inspiring others to use their passions for good and to open up conversations about mental health.
- Chris Hall's cycling adventure around Britain, centered on mental health awareness, also encompasses aspects of health-and-wellness, as he finds solace and coping mechanisms in fitness-and-exercise during his long-distance ride.
- As part of the Movember campaign, Chris Hall's bikepacking journey aims to highlight not only men's mental health issues but also the role of sports, in this case cycling, in promoting overall well-being and contributing to a broader discussion on mental health and fitness-and-exercise.
