Cycling for Mental Clarity: The Unexpected Benefit That Keeps Me Riding at 70

Last Updated: June 2026

Quick Take: Most people think I still ride because it's good exercise. They're only partly right. After riding more than 155,000 miles over the past five decades, I've learned that the greatest benefit isn't stronger legs or a healthier heart. It's what cycling does for my mind. Every ride leaves me calmer, happier, and thinking more clearly than when I started.

70-year-old cyclist riding on the right side of a quiet country road at sunrise, viewed from behind, symbolizing the mental clarity and peace that come from cycling.

After more than 155,000 miles on a bicycle, I've discovered that the greatest benefit isn't stronger legs—it's a clearer mind.

When people hear that I've ridden more than 155,000 miles during my lifetime, they usually assume I must really enjoy exercise.

I do.

I enjoy seeing new places, climbing hills, exploring back roads, and challenging myself with bicycle tours that most people my age wouldn't even consider. Cycling has helped me lose weight, improve my health, and continue doing things at 70 that many people give up years earlier.

But if I'm being completely honest, those aren't the biggest reasons I still ride.

The greatest benefit I've received from cycling isn't physical.

It's mental.

My Wife Figured It Out Before I Did

Several years ago I had a colon procedure that required me to stay off my bicycle for two weeks. The doctor was very clear that I needed to let everything heal before climbing back on the bike.

Physically, I felt pretty good.

Mentally, I was becoming miserable.

I paced around the house. Little things irritated me. I was restless and noticeably grumpier than normal. I honestly didn't realize how much my mood had changed until my wife finally looked at me one afternoon and said, "You need to go for a bike ride."

She wasn't trying to get rid of me.

She understood something I hadn't fully appreciated myself.

After many years together, she'd seen what cycling had always done for me. She knew I almost always came home happier than when I left. She'd watched stress disappear after a long ride. She'd seen difficult decisions somehow become easier after I'd spent a few hours turning the pedals.

When the doctor finally cleared me to ride again, I wasn't excited because I could exercise.

I was excited because I could finally feel like myself again.

That experience changed the way I thought about cycling. Since then, I've realized that while my body certainly benefits from riding, my mind may benefit even more.

The Best Thinking I Do Happens Somewhere Around Mile 15

People often ask where I get ideas for this blog.

The truth is that many of them begin on a bicycle.

I'll leave home thinking about an article I'm struggling to write, a bicycle tour I'm planning, a family concern, or some decision that has been bouncing around in my head for days.

For the first few miles, my thoughts are usually scattered. I'm thinking about errands, bills, the weather, or half a dozen unrelated things.

Then something changes.

The rhythm of pedaling settles in. My breathing becomes steady. Before long, all those random thoughts begin to organize themselves.

Problems that seemed complicated at breakfast often have simple solutions by lunchtime.

I've finished countless rides knowing exactly how I wanted to write an article, where I wanted my next bicycle tour to go, or what I needed to do about a situation that had been bothering me.

I can't explain exactly why it works.

I just know it does.

Science Explains What I've Been Feeling for Years

Researchers have found that regular aerobic exercise increases blood flow to the brain, reduces stress hormones, and stimulates the release of chemicals that improve mood, memory, and concentration.

Reading those studies made me smile because they simply confirmed what I've been experiencing for decades.

I've never finished a ride wishing I'd stayed home.

Even on days when I battled a strong West Texas headwind or climbed more hills than I wanted, I still came home feeling mentally refreshed.

That's one reason I continue riding several days each week. It's as much for my mental health as it is for my physical health.

Why This Matters Even More As We Get Older

One thing I've noticed as I've gotten older is how noisy life has become.

Our phones constantly buzz. The news never stops. Social media competes for every spare minute. Even retirement isn't always as peaceful as people imagine.

Cycling gives me something that's becoming increasingly difficult to find.

Time to think.

Not distracted thinking.

Real thinking.

Sometimes I'll spend an entire ride replaying memories from one of my cross-country tours. Other days I'm planning future adventures or thinking about ways to improve this blog. Occasionally I don't think about much of anything at all, and those rides are just as valuable.

There's something about moving steadily down a quiet road that clears away the mental clutter.

I don't know if that's unique to cycling, but I do know it's one of the reasons I'll keep riding as long as I safely can.

The Gear That Helps Me Enjoy Every Ride

People occasionally ask what equipment I actually use after riding well over 155,000 miles. These aren't products I picked because they pay commissions. They're products I use because they've earned my trust.

Garmin Varia Rear Radar – My favorite cycling safety device. I honestly wouldn't want to ride busy roads without it.
Amazon Link: This is the one I have
Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt Bicycle Computer – Reliable navigation lets me relax and enjoy the ride instead of worrying about getting lost.
Amazon Link: Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V3
Przewalski Bib Shorts – Comfortable enough for long days in the saddle without spending premium-brand money.
Amazon Link: I have Multiple Pairs of These
My Favorite Cycling Mirror – One small piece of equipment that helps me ride with much greater confidence.
Amazon Link:I Have had this mirror since 2014
Giro MIPS Helmet – A helmet is something I never compromise on.
Amazon Link: I wear the Giro Fixture MIPS II Helmet

The Mississippi River Tour Reminded Me Why I Ride

Earlier this year I completed a six-day, 366-mile ride along the Mississippi River. It ended up being my favorite bicycle tour I've ever done.

The scenery was beautiful, the small river towns were welcoming, and having my son provide vehicle support allowed me to simply enjoy the ride without hauling camping gear. But what I'll remember most isn't a particular overlook or one spectacular photograph.

I'll remember how I felt.

For nearly a week, life became wonderfully simple. Wake up. Eat breakfast. Ride. Stop for lunch. Ride some more. Visit with my son in the evening. Get a good night's sleep and do it all again the next day.

There were no deadlines. No rushing from one obligation to another. No endless list of chores waiting around the house. Just hours spent moving through some of the prettiest countryside I've ever seen from the seat of a bicycle.

By the time I reached the end of the tour, I wasn't just physically tired. I felt mentally recharged in a way that's difficult to describe unless you've experienced it yourself.

That's one reason I'm already planning future tours. I enjoy seeing new places, but I also enjoy what those long days on the bike do for my mind.

You Don't Have to Ride Hundreds of Miles

The good news is you don't have to ride across a state or spend six days on a bicycle tour to experience these benefits.

Some of my most enjoyable rides are only twenty or thirty miles. They're long enough for my mind to settle down but short enough that I'm home before lunch.

If you're new to cycling, don't worry about speed or distance. Just ride. Find a route you enjoy, pedal at a comfortable pace, and let yourself enjoy being outside. The miles will take care of themselves.

You may discover what I did years ago—that you climb off the bike feeling mentally refreshed even more than physically tired.

Why I'll Keep Riding

People occasionally ask me how much longer I plan to keep riding.

My answer is always the same.

As long as I can stay upright.

At 70 years old, I know I won't always be able to ride the same distances I once did. In fact, after my recent Mississippi River tour I realized that averaging around sixty miles a day is probably close to my comfortable limit now. That's simply part of getting older, and I'm perfectly okay with that.

What hasn't changed is how I feel every time I finish a ride.

I come home calmer.

I come home happier.

I come home with a clearer mind.

Those benefits don't show up on a bicycle computer or a fitness app, but they've become some of the most valuable miles I've ever ridden.

Looking back, I think my wife understood all of this long before I did. She knew that cycling wasn't just something I enjoyed. It had become part of who I am.

She was right.

I've ridden through the deserts of the Southwest, across Texas, through New Mexico, along the Gulf Coast, and now beside the Mississippi River. I've ridden into headwinds that made me question my sanity and down quiet country roads where I didn't see another car for miles. Every ride has given me something, but the greatest gift hasn't been stronger legs or better endurance.

It's been a clearer mind.

That's why, as long as my health allows it, you'll continue to find me on my gray and blue Specialized Diverge somewhere out on the road.

I still ride because it's good for my body.

But I ride even more because it's good for my soul.

Affiliate Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. If you buy through one of the links below, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I only recommend products I personally use or would confidently recommend to another cyclist.

Final Thoughts

If someone had asked me forty years ago why I rode a bicycle, I probably would have talked about fitness, adventure, or seeing the country one pedal stroke at a time.

Today my answer is different.

Yes, cycling has helped me stay healthy. It's helped me lose weight, keep my blood pressure under control, and continue doing things many people my age have given up.

But the greatest gift cycling has given me is something you can't measure with a stopwatch or a heart rate monitor.

It helps me think more clearly. It reduces my stress. It lifts my mood. It reminds me that no matter what's happening in life, there is usually peace waiting just a few miles down the road.

That's the unexpected benefit that keeps me riding at 70.

And if you ask my wife, she'll probably tell you it's the benefit that keeps me pleasant to live with, too.

Search This Blog

The Old Guy Bicycle Blog