Green cycling a boon for deaf men

Mr Brickell, who is deaf himself, conducted a series of interviews with four young deaf males who regularly pursued green cycling in countryside settings. He explored their experiences of exercising in nature and analysed their responses.
The results, Mr Beale said, supported the idea that exposure to green space promoted a feeling of connectedness to nature for those cycling with a hearing impairment, and as a result, enhanced their well-being generally. For some, he said, it was often a cathartic activity.

Participants had very strong emotional attachments to riding in the countryside. [They all] agreed that cycling acted as a self-healing process.”

Despite these benefits, participation rates of deaf people in any form of exercise or physical activity are consistently lower than those of non-deaf people. Both academics hope their work will encourage those with hearing impairments to consider taking their bike ride outside.

They also said further research on other groups, including female deaf cyclists, would help build a more complete picture of the benefits and potential physiological changes that may result from green cycling. 

The study recognised the practicalities that deaf people needed to consider with the majority of research participants using hearing-enhancing technology – including cochlear implants – while cycling. These helped to make the practice more sociable and safer, particularly when riding in traffic, although some used that technology to listen to music.
One participant said he “couldn’t imagine” himself without a bike, with cycling providing a positive outlet, helping him not only physically but mentally. 

We [deaf people] get stressed; life can get hard. When going to have a nice ride in the countryside, you are at ease. You see rolling hills and you hear the birds; you see the birds and quiet roads and it’s like you[’ve] got the whole world to yourself.”

The study found that barriers remained for deaf cyclists, with some reporting that they struggled to achieve the same type of social connectedness, typically in group-riding environments, that their non-deaf counterparts enjoyed. They also noted there was room for technology improvements to lessen wind interference through their cochlear implants or hearing aids.

For some, group riding wasn’t a priority, with participants seeing riding alone in nature as a meditative experience and expressing that communication with fellow riders often took a lot of effort and detracted from the experience.
One study participant said, “I like my own meditation … You’re by the sea ... and you just want to be alone. You know when you ride next to someone and … the amount of effort when you talk and listen. It’s just too much work; you might as well talk at home.”

The research is available to read in full online here: ‘I can’t imagine myself without a bike.’ The lived experience of deaf countryside cyclists.

James Beale is the programme leader on our MSc Applied Sport and Exercise Sciences (Sport Psychology) undergraduate course.