With 15% of men saying they have no close friends, mental health charities are concerned that loneliness is becoming an ever bigger threat to male life expectancy. But could cycling groups, clubs and connections prove to be the salvation for a nation of lonely males?
Asif Haque joined a cycling group after suffering health problems in 2021. “Expectations in the early stages were low,” admits Haque, 45, a school teacher from South Woodford, London. “We were middle-aged to older men, all from different backgrounds, and none of us conformed to the cycling stereotypes. But we learned from riding together to make it a positive experience and become friends.” Haque is one of a growing number of people for whom cycling has opened the doors to finding new friends and expanding social circles at a time when men especially are in need of help.
Loneliness has become a modern affliction of epidemic proportions, with adult men the worst affected. A 2019 YouGov survey recorded that 44% of UK men admit to frequent feelings of loneliness. “The impact of loneliness and isolation is reflected in higher rates of depression and suicide among men –
