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Cyclist crossing box junction (copyright Simon MacMichael).PNGTimes newspaper columnist reports new study that commuting by bike is good for mental health... before descending into bizarre anti-cyclist rant about "speeding, semi-psychotic masses"
You might have seen the Blue Monday-brightening research from the University of Edinburgh that we reported on yesterday, a study further demonstrating the health benefits of cycling, namely that those who commute by bike are less likely to be prescribed antidepressants than people who commute by other means.
In short, the study published in the International Journal of Epidemiology concluded: "This work suggests that cycle commuting is causally related to reduced mental ill-health and provides further evidence in support of the promotion of active travel to encourage commuters travelling shorter distances to shift to cycle commutes".
Good news for everyone then. Good news for people cycling to work who get the benefit, also good news for the rest of society benefiting health wise and economically from less people requiring mental health prescriptions. That's what we thought anyway.
However, in a column published in today's edition of The Times newspaper, written by Robert Crampton, the seemingly indisputably positive research was the inspiration for, not some pro-cycling positivity, but a bizarre anti-cyclist rant about "the speeding, semi-psychotic masses".
"I'm thinking that if Scottish cyclists are anything like many in London, pedestrians and motorists north of the border are on the happy pills because half-crazed two-wheeled commuters are making them anxious," Crampton suggests, saying that for 25 years he cycled to work (and boosted his mental health) but the appeal "wore off" with age, "partly egotistical because I started to get overtaken regularly".
"Partly, also, the nature of a typical cyclist changed as the numbers first grew, then, 15 or so years ago, exploded. Back in the day, I felt — not entirely fancifully — we were a fraternity. Diverse, eccentric, a little peculiar, but chilled. Peaceable. Even-tempered," he wrote.
"Now, that vibe has been subsumed in a mass of angry, intolerant, semi-psychotic Strava men, aged 30-50 for the most part, monitors strapped to their arm, glazed expression, powering along making no distinction between red or green, pavement or road, one-way or two-way, speed never sacrificed in the quest to shave a second off their personal best.
> Best commuter bikes 2024 — beat the traffic by cycling to work
"I took issue with a light-jumper a while back for almost mowing down an entire crocodile of six-year-olds. 'But I'm on a bike!' he whined, unable to compute that, once saddled up, he might still be subject to the Highway Code, not to mention the demands of common decency. Puffing along nervously in the slipstream of crazed narcissists? Or snug on the top deck of the 388? I know which is better for my mental health. Context is all."
Perhaps we should return to the experts for the final word, the professor who led the study, Chris Dibben, commenting on his research by saying it "suggests that a policy of investing in cycle paths and encouraging active commuting is likely to have wide-ranging benefits". No mention of launching bizarre rants in national newspapers, unsurprisingly.
For whatever reason however, cycling has been the subject of countless similar pieces over the years, a trip into the road.cc archives suggesting The Times is a less frequent offender than others.
> 20 of the most hysterical Daily Mail anti-cycling headlines
In 2020 however, Cycling UK complained to the Sunday Times over a column by Rod Liddle which said it was "tempting" to stretch piano wire across the road to target cyclists. The column was published on the same weekend a cyclist was hospitalised by riding into such a trap, however press watchdog IPSO deemed it had not breached its Editors' Code of Practice, the newspaper arguing the column was "not intended to be taken seriously". Perhaps that advice should be heeded today also...
Dan is the road.cc news editor and joined in 2020 having previously written about nearly every other sport under the sun for the Express, and the weird and wonderful world of non-league football for The Non-League Paper. Dan has been at road.cc for four years and mainly writes news and tech articles as well as the occasional feature. He has hopefully kept you entertained on the live blog too.
Never fast enough to take things on the bike too seriously, when he's not working you'll find him exploring the south of England by two wheels at a leisurely weekend pace, or enjoying his favourite Scottish roads when visiting family. Sometimes he'll even load up the bags and ride up the whole way, he's a bit strange like that.
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The Time's anticycling article: It's strange how many feature writers believe motorists and pedestrians are law-abiding and harmless and never write an article criticizing their behaviour.
Editor: Hi Robert, how's this week's column coming along?
Journalist: Yeah, not great. Got any news stories I could riff on?
Editor: How about this, research is saying that cycling is good for mental health.
Journalist: Great. I used to ride a bit, I could do a piece on that. Fresh air, endorphins, etc.
Editor: One thing, we're getting worried about readers leaving us and going over the Daily Mail. Could you find some way to spin it to appeal to petrol-headed reactionaries?
Journalist: No problem. I once had an encounter with a red-light-jumper. He went through on amber, and I tutted, which he didn't notice. But I've had fifteen years to embellish it into a whole morality play, in which I am the level-headed hero, and he's more callous than a Post Office executive.
Editor: Sounds perfect. 800 words please. We'll run it opposite an advert for car insurance.
They just don't get it, do they? I've played, coached, refereed and watched rugby for the last 40 years and have encountered plenty of semi-psychotic people (and plenty of lifelong friends) in what is a wonderful sport. My perception of football is that most football crowds are largely made up of semi-psychotic people, particularly when the mob-mind kicks in. Most of the business-people I have met (mostly through rugby but often through cycling as well - an occupational hazard of cycling in Surrey) are semi-psychotic. Overwhelmingly the people I have met in cycling are the most relaxed and accepting, and the least semi-psychotic. Except for the woman I rode in a group with in the summer of 2022 who was convinced that Boris Johnson was A Good Thing. But she was the exception that proves the rule. The problem seems to be that in team sports the participants and spectators are confined to one area whereas in our sport (non-cyclists all seem to perceive it as a sport, even though that's only one aspect of cycling), we're there for all to see, getting in their way.
crampton
has struggled for any relevance in his journalism for a while and appears to be descending into click bait territory. A boring suprisingly opinionated man of little consequence.
And, judging by the ridiculous praise heaped on him in his Wikipedia page, he presumably has lots of spare time to edit Wikipedia.
The International Journal of Epidemiology publishes peer-reviewed primary science; the Times does not. I know which I would trust.
The impression I get from the Telegraph fopdoodle is that he is stuck in 1992.
"I took issue with a light-jumper a while back for almost mowing down an entire crocodile of six-year-olds. 'But I'm on a bike!' he whined"
I've rehearsed my views on red-light jumping at length here, but I will eat my helmet and hi-vis if the above event actually happened.
I will eat my helmet and hi-vis if the above event actually happened
I'm not undertaking to do that, but there is a very high probability that this nutter Crampton is lying.
It's not outside of the realm of possibility: there is little correlation between someone's transportation and whether or not someone is a bellend (Volkswagen group excluded.)
The issue is that when a cyclist does it it's treated as the actions of a group member rather than an individual.
What does Mind say about this: "You do need to notify the DVLA if you experience anxiety or depression with significant memory or concentration problems, agitation, behavioural disturbance or suicidal thoughts."
So, surely, if there are drivers out there taking medication for symptomatic anxiety we can check by doing a FOI on the DVLA for how many drivers have reported their road related anxiety.
"Now, that vibe has been subsumed in a mass of angry, intolerant, semi-psychotic Strava men, aged 30-50 for the most part, monitors strapped to their arm, glazed expression, powering along making no distinction between red or green, pavement or road, one-way or two-way, speed never sacrificed in the quest to shave a second off their personal best."
More like: "Now, that vibe has been subsumed in a mass of angry, intolerant, semi-psychotic motorists, aged 30-50 for the most part, phones glued to their palms, glazed expression, powering along making no distinction between red or green, pavement or road, one-way or two-way, speed never sacrificed in the quest to shave a second off their personal best.
Another product from the road.cc outrage-generation factory.
Does reporting on the News International outrage-generation factory make you an outrage generating factory? And if so where does commenting on the outrage- generation sit? (Let's not even start on those who reply to the comments on the outrage- generating articles on the outrage-generation!!)
Yes, probably not advisable, and it's not for me to say.
I won't read the Times (and some other papers) partly to avoid being triggered by articles like this and those of cheerleader-in-chief for murder-by-decapitation, Matthew Parris.
What to do...? Live in blissful ignorance?
Not an option sadly, due to these nasty articles being translated occasionally into nasty driving.
Go safe.
I wrote to the PCC and Matthew Penis about his article over that new year when he made his fun jibe about cutting heads off people who are cycling.
The PCC are complicit in this cultural vitriol, just as the CPS, police and judges who only drive.
As our society revolves around the car god, don't expect Dutch-like evolution this millennium. Be wary of pitch forks and gallows when out cycling...
I think you might have accidentally misspelled his name there. Are you sure it isn't Mathew, with one T?
Commuting to work by bike didn't prevent me needing anti-depressants when my mental health deteriorated in the mid-2010s. However, cycling has played a major part in my recovery - and I am sure my mental health problems would have been much worse without it.
I very much agree with you having been through a period of my life where I needed antidepressants a number of years back. My doctor was happy that cycling regularly was part of my rhythm and routine and that the medication and exercise would work hand in hand.
As a long time London cycle commuter, the changes in the past 15 years have been away from a hardcore of men aged 30 to 50 and to a much more diverse cohort of cyclists, i.e. the opposite of what Mr Crampon claims. The standard of cycling amongst commuters has generally improved, albeit that is undermined by food delivery riders (many of whom aren't technically on bicycles, although that's not how the general public perceive it).
Very much this.
Absolutely, I don't know what the figures are but my empirical observation is that the number of female commuting cyclists in London has increased at least fivefold if not more over the last couple of decades. Commuters as a whole have also diversified away from the predominance of the road bike, with Bromptons and other folders, Dutch bikes and utility hybrids becoming much more commonplace.
Guided by nominative determinism, Mr Crampon has moved away from cycling and towards ice climbing.
Very much this too. Most gutter press columnists take misguided opinion and present it as fact. Yes, I rank The Times as gutter press.
Drivers up here are on something, but it ain't happy pills.
"Monitors strapped to their arm"..... ummm OK.
Tell me your article is based on your own biased opinions and perceptions rather than observed fact without using those words.
"speed never sacrificed in the quest to shave a second off their
personal bestjourney time" - that'd be most drivers these days then?Mr Craptom is confusing performance monitors fitted to handlebars with the sexual pleasure toy strapped to his forehead, and merged these to arrive at something strapped to riders' arms.
Not defending Mr Crampton, but the newish optical HR sensors like the Polar Verity Sense do strap onto your arm. Maybe they are very popular among imaginary semi-psychotic London commuters.