The critical danger of exercise addiction has been thrown into the spotlight following the tragic death of British cyclist Mark Bentley.
Bentley, a 54-year-old business journalist living in Frankfurt, Germany, spoke with weekly cycling in early September and confessed that he felt addicted to cycling despite experiencing symptoms of heart problems. Three days later, on September 10, he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest.
Interviewed for a C.W. article on the subject of exercise addiction, the Brit explained how he had been having chest pain while cycling and that his exercise habits were getting in the way of other priorities in his life.
Exercise addiction is not officially recognized as a medical condition, but it has been extensively researched. It is characterized by loss of control of exercise habits and dependence on exercise, which has negative consequences for health, society, and work.
Studies have consistently shown that cyclists and runners are more at risk of developing addiction than any other type of athlete.
Bentley, who averages more than 2,000 km of cycling a month, much of it indoors on a turbo trainer, spoke with C.W. as part of the magazine ‘Let’s talk about’ serieswhich focuses on rarely discussed health issues affecting cyclists.
“Both my girlfriend and my mother tell me I’m obsessed,” Bentley said. C.W.. “If I’m not riding, I’m talking about it or watching cycling. It never ends… I’m aware that it’s addictive, but it’s my hobby, why not do it in my free time? At least this addiction is ‘It’s not harmful’ . Cycling is healthy.”
Am I addicted to exercise?
Katherine Cullen (née Schreiber), co-author of the book The truth about exercise addictionadvises cyclists concerned that they may be addicted.
“Just ask yourself: Is my exercise behavior causing conflict in my social life?” she said. “Is it affecting my work/professional/school life? Is it damaging my health? Do I feel like I can’t control my behavior? Have I tried to cut and I have not been able to? Do I need more and more to feel good?”
Other symptoms include skipping other activities or social engagements, feeling more moody or anxious than usual, irritable, or excessively worried when you can’t exercise as much as you want. “If this sounds like you,” Cullen continued, “you may need some support learning how to exercise in a healthier way.”
He added: “Every time I travel in the upper levels of Zone 2, I have a chest pain. I have decided to limit the intensity in Zone 2, hoping that will solve it… [If I] I have to stop training, I will lose the physical condition that I have worked hard to build.”
Bentley’s family graciously agreed to the publication of the CW article and provided a statement: “Without a doubt, Mark was exceptional…he will be missed.” [him] terribly, but you will always find solace in our memories, and knowing, as his passing has highlighted, that he had such a positive impact on so many lives.”
The family has set up a JustGiving Page in memory of Mark, with all donations going to the Wheels for All charity. The Frankfurt-based Scuderia Rossetti Social Riding Club organized its first annual Mark Bentley Memorial Race in October.
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, you can contact Samaritans on 116 123 or the mental health charity Mind on 0300 123 3393.
The full long read ‘Let’s Talk About: Exercise Addiction’ is published in the December 1, 2022 print issue of Cycling Weekly. subscribe online (opens in a new tab) and have the magazine delivered directly to your door every week.
!function(f,b,e,v,n,t,s){if(f.fbq)return;n=f.fbq=function()
{n.callMethod? n.callMethod.apply(n,arguments):n.queue.push(arguments)}
;if(!f._fbq)f._fbq=n;
n.push=n;n.loaded=!0;n.version=’2.0′;n.queue=[];t=b.createElement(e);t.async=!0;
t.src=v;s=b.getElementsByTagName(e)[0];s.parentNode.insertBefore(t,s)}(window,
document,’script’,’https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/fbevents.js’);
fbq(‘init’, ‘756449714459937’);
fbq(‘track’, ‘PageView’);
