A Midlife Cyclist cover art

A Midlife Cyclist

My Two-Wheel Journey to Heal a Broken Mind and Find Joy

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A Midlife Cyclist

By: Rachel Ann Cullen
Narrated by: Kat Rose-Martin, Rachel Ann Cullen
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About this listen

Includes an exclusive interview with the author.

Rachel is a cyclist. But she was never meant to be.

After gaining mental strength and healing through running, she thought she was free. Her depression alleviated, she came off antidepressants, winning races and collecting medals at marathons.

But when an injury stopped the only thing helping to quiet the voices in her brain, Rachel found out what she is truly made of. As body dysmorphia began to grip her in earnest, she knew she had to find a different way to kick her mental health demons for the sake of her sanity.

So, she went down to her cellar, heaved out her old bike, and started pedalling.

Like her life depended on it.

A Midlife Cyclist is a tale of two wheels, across the Yorkshire Dales, Vietnam,­ Costa Rica and beyond, and a rider in search of peace.

©2020 Rachel Ann Cullen (P)2020 Bonnier Books UK Cycling Sports Mental Health Health Injury

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Critic reviews

"Masses of heart...frank and funny." (Melanie Sykes)

"Gritty and glorious." (Ruth Field, author of Run Fat B!tch Run)

"A truly inspiring tale." (William Pullen, author of Run for Your Life)

Featured article: The best biking audiobooks


From humble beginnings as a travel option to international tournaments, the history of cycling is full of great stories. Check out our list for inspiring tales of triumph, advice on how to improve your skills, and fascinating insights into the sport.

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absolutely loved it
I love how honest Rachel is especially about her b chimp lol

amazing

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I thought this would be more about cycling than mental health so after wading through the overly verbose first few chapters I did enjoy the last few but very nearly gave up on it so many times. I can see it may be helpful for others with similar mental health issues but I think the first few chapters could be halved and we would still get the idea.

Mostly not about cycling

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A fantastic listen.....I really enjoyed hearing Rachael’s story of how due to a running injury she came from being a non cyclist to completing her cycling challenge.
An inspirational true story showing with grit and determination anything is possible.

Fantastic

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This book doesn’t really know if it’s about anxiety/BDD, or cycling and fitness. I realised I’d drifted off from listening a few times, as I couldn’t settle into the subjects. There was also a lot of product-placement, and too much unnecessary swearing. I felt for Rachel in her struggles, but also that the story telling was a little unnatural and contrived.

Realised I wasn’t listening.

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If you are looking for a book about mental health and finding your way through it - this is a great option.

If you are like me and you are looking for a book about getting into cycling and that side of the story, not so much. There's a huge amount of exhausting rants, worries, moans, debates etc. Found myself skipping through a few chapters to get to the "story".

I get it and I think it's all valid and relevant. I just found it rather difficult to listen to for hours on end.

Struggled with it a bit if I'm honest.

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The authors honestly in the critical self competative regime is quite brutal. Not the uplifting story I was expecting but a difficult journey in self acceptance.

Not an uplifting story

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Just not for me, I guess. I just feel like I've heard this story before.

Disappointed

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