Meet the team: Lake Ambassador, Chris Hall

Cycling and Mental Health Awareness

Some people move quietly through life and whilst simply being themselves, they can inspire others with their actions. Endurance cyclist and Lake ambassador, Chris Hall is one such character; and, whilst this former architect and designer has seemingly slipped accidently into the global cycling scene, his drive and character have ensured that his impact is known by many. Having previously struggled with his own mental health – as many of us do at times but fail to recognise – Chris uses his time on a bike and his profile to help promote our awareness of mental health issues, through the global ‘Movember’ campaign amongst other initiatives and events.

Talking with Chris, he’s quite open that we all need to be more honest about our health – both the physical and the mental aspects that are unfortunately more common than we perceive.

Finding both the challenge and the inspiration

Cycling is recognised for helping to generate those positive feelings and endorphins that make us smile more, which is why Chris uses it to both challenge himself and to give a greater focus to mental health awareness. Using his endurance challenges, such as the recent epic and quite extraordinary bikepacking ride around the perimeter of Great Britain - 6444km, ridden in only 30 days, Chris promotes mental health awareness for all, and not simply cyclists!

Why? Well, because as Chris says:

“One in five men aged between 16 and 29 reported having moderate to severe depressive symptoms in 2021, and suicide is the leading cause of death in men aged between 20 and 34, with three out of four deaths by suicide being men.”

The challenge for Chris wasn’t just the ride and the vast distances that awaited him. The real challenge was to get more people talking… literally, just talking about how they are feeling and their own particular struggles. Yes, cycling can be a great release for everyone, allowing those positive endorphins to flood our body. However, many of us need a guiding hand to get onto the right track and to help in guiding us on a journey of recovery and of personal discovery – a journey that Chris has taken himself and which guides his spirit as he continues to cycle on numerous challenges around the globe.

An individual journey of discovery and self

Like many of us, Chris cycled as a child – his first bike being a ‘hand-me-down’ pink Raleigh BMX bike that had belonged to his sister. However, it wasn’t until university and his time in London, that Chris started to cycle with the regularity and purpose that was to grow, and which would eventually take him towards the life on 2-wheels that he now enjoys and which he feels privileged to have.

We talk about his early career as an architect and the associated workplace issues - bullying, leading to his own period of depression and a change into the field of design. His journey is a far cry from his childhood village life, tucked away in the quintessential Kent countryside, and it follows the intricate tapestry of modern cycling culture and style.

From creating a culture to creating awareness

We all as cyclists recognise that sublime explosion of cycling culture that fired brands like Rapha into our consciousness. It was Chris and his contemporaries who created this fabric, working closely with Rapha to build a reality that fitted what he and others around him felt cycling needed. Their ideas created the now iconic and organic evolving cycling scene and supporting industry that mirrored it, and he helped to fire it took it into the future in an inclusive and cool way which celebrating the social side, the style and the camaraderie. And yes, Chris and others helped to emblazon it on our minds, as his own mind began to heal and he looked towards a time when he could use his cycling lifestyle to help others to find themselves, on their own critical journey. Yes, cycling and society is now more open about mental health, but as Chris reminds me during our chat:

‘We still have a long way to go in helping people to be open about their health – mental and physical - and their feelings. That tendency for too many men to hide their problems away, must be challenged and changed. On my ride, I met and simply talked with and listened to some amazing people – just sitting quietly and listening, because ultimately, that’s the first thing we should all do more of.

Finding your way on a bike

This altruistic and quietly spoken athlete tells me that yes, he feels privileged; and the more that we talk, the more obvious becomes that whilst he loves the life he now leads, he wants to ensure that it has a purpose - a purpose that can encourage and inspire others. And for that reason, alongside the obvious personal challenges that such feats of endurance create, and which Chris quietly feeds on, cycling around the perimeter of Great Britain – all 6444 kilometres of it – wasn’t about him, nor about cycling. It was about people – like the guy in Dundee who met on a bench and just talked with. It’s about the community of cyclists that now exists, and those people who simply need to hear that it’s okay to not be okay.’

Chris recalls his first long ride, whilst in London, where the Ripcor Club spent 30% of their time riding and 70% socializing together. It was fun, relaxing and open, and it has stayed with him and continues to inform Chris on the value of creating a community culture. No doubt it also influenced the radical thinking that led to the first Rapha café idea, and which has since inspired so many cycling cafés elsewhere.

Talking openly together, it’s obvious that Chris has a naturally altruistic personality. He tells me that this is a product of his grandparents and the time he spent with them, helping the family run animal charity. The legacy of that formative period in his life are the rides such as the Perimeter ride, and a much earlier ride across Romania, where he recalls riding the epic Transfagarsan Highway in the Carpathian Mountains and just being able to talk easily with others as they cycled. It’s why Chris believes that cycling is the best form of transport for engaging with others, with yourself and with the world around you – if we just press pause and slow down. Chris rightly believes that too many people try chasing false perfection on social media, instead of allowing themselves to be free in mind and spirit. Chris and I share the principle that time is the most valuable resource we have, and we should use it purposefully.

Riding with Lake on your side – and on your feet!

With most of his time spent ‘casually cycling’ as Chris ironically puts it, his cycling shoe of choice is the Lake MX30, which he says allows him to be comfortable on and off the bike, as he frequently stops simply taking in his surroundings. The MX30G is a classically designed, pure and simple off-road adventure shoe, and is perfectly suited for long days on the gravel grind, as well as bikepacking and endurance rides. It comes as a stylish all-microfiber version and an ultra-lightweight mesh version, for those hot and humid days. The mesh option is ideal for fast river crossings in races, allowing the water to be easily released and aiding the drying process with an airflow around the foot. Chris himself found the mesh a great help in cooling his feet on hot and dusty rides.

Having wide feet, Chris says how Lake has allowed him more choice and comfort in his cycling shoes. Especially as he frequently rides both on the road and off-road. He recently attended the Le Blanq Joyride Festival in Ibiza, where he used our Lake CX333 road cycling shoes in white – his favourite style. Having tried several other world-renowned brands, Chris believes that Lake are the only ones who provide such a range of wide-fitting and stylish cycling shoes across so many cycling genres. He tells me that on the road, no other cycling shoes match the CX333 for comfort, performance, and style. And, for a cyclist and designer that helped to define our modern cycling culture – that’s an important feature!

Here at Lake, we’re determined to create cycling shoes that fit to form and which make every ride comfortable. We’re also keen to help people such as Chris create an open cycling culture, and a community where our health – physical and mental - is something that we can be more open about. Wherever the next challenge takes him, we’ll be supporting Chris all the way!