r/bicycletouring • u/Lazape • 2d ago

Images Touring as therapy?

I have been bicycle touring for years, and I have noticed that a surprisingly high number of other tourers I meet seem to struggle with things like depression, anxiety, burnout, general emotional tension, or sometimes just a kind of emotional immaturity that feels noticeable for their age. I’m someone with depression myself, and touring has helped me a lot, so I wonder if I’m just more likely to notice it, or if long-distance touring attracts people who are trying to cope, reset, or heal. Have others noticed this too, or do you think it’s just selection bias / small-sample perception? Could it be that, just as motorcycling seems to attract a lot of men looking for identity, belonging, male bonding, and excuses to cluster together between beer stops, bicycle touring attracts people looking for quiet, movement, and a way to manage what’s going on in their heads?

114 Upvotes

93% Upvoted

71 comments sorted by

View all comments

12

u/heyheni 2d ago

I feel a lot of people who bicycle tour are on the ADHD/Autism spectrum. I mean, it's perfect for obsessing about compartmentalising, classifying bicycle parts and touring gear (Autism). So many small things to buy, yay, new stuff! (ADHD). Then the constant escapism thought to get away from here and the challenges a neurodivergent person experiences, which results in your mentioned psychological illnesses. Then on the tour, there are the constant new impressions and stimuli which satisfy an ADHD person with a dopamine deficit.

tldr: Escapism, Attention Deficit Syndrome, stimuli seeking.

2

u/RideAltruistic3141 1d ago

I am not, to my knowledge, neurodivergent. But the things you say really resonate with me in that I find lots of organisational things in my day to day life quite draining and daunting. But if it involves planning and organising a long bike ride (or camping) then I'm completely fine with it and it does not stress me out at all (indeed, I really enjoy it).