Cycling and exercise addiction: how much is too much?

What does it mean to get hooked on riding your bike? CW investigates exercise addiction and comes face-to-face with its devastating consequences

Image shows a rider chained to the handlebars of their bike
(Image credit: Future)

Mark Bentley thought he was like any committed cyclist. Riding his bike wasn’t only a hobby, it also gave him a sense of purpose. A good training session made him feel alive and satisfied. But there was a problem: it could become allconsuming. Squeezing in training around his social life and work as a business journalist based in Frankfurt, Germany, sometimes caused friction. When we spoke by phone in early September, Bentley confided that he was thankful to have a “very understanding” girlfriend, but admitted that he frequently prioritised training over social events and household chores. 

“A few weeks ago there was a party, my girlfriend Su wanted to go to but we didn’t go because I had an early morning club ride the following day,” the 54-year-old told me. “Su sometimes complains that I neglect things in the house because of my cycling. I was put on part-time hours during Covid, which halved my salary, and my girlfriend felt I should look for another job, whereas I thought, ‘Bugger that, it means more time to train’.” 

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Row 0 - Cell 0 Strongly disagreeDisagreeNeither agree nor disagreeAgreeStrongly agree
Exercise is the most important thing in my life12345
Conflicts have arisen between me and my family/partner about the amount of exercise I do12345
I use exercise as a way of changing my mood (e.g. to get a buzz)12345
Over time I have increased the amount of exercise I do in a day12345
If I have to miss an exercise session I feel moody and irritable12345
If I reduce exercising hours, and then start again, I end up exercising as often as I did before12345

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Chris Marshall-Bell

A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and feature writing across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013.


Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in a number of places, but mostly in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.


He lives in Valencia, Spain.