The Unexpected Sadness of Bike Touring

Have you ever come back from a bike tour and just felt... blue? Often when I come back from a big, beautiful, bicycle adventure, I experience what I describe as the "post-bike tour blues". So today I'm sharing 6 tips that are helping me move through the feelings that have come up since returning from my most recent bikepacking trip.
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[@SheelaghDaly]

Your mental health MATTERS! In this video I go through some general tips that help me through the post-tour “blues”. But you may be experiencing something more serious and long-lasting. Please talk to a doctor and/or mental healthcare provider to get the care and support you need ♥️

[@HermannKerr]

I call it "Endorphin withdrawal". For me, I jump on my bike (well for me - Trike) and go for a rides. It is not perfect but it really helps me.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Definitely! Feeling that freedom with your feet in the pedals makes all the difference :)

[@tomsitzman3952]

The secrete of life is to live one life, not one broken down into separate unrelated compartments. Learn to live your life as Art. Make Artful living your way of life. The old German word for this is Schaffen. Life is a twisting, turning, up and down journey, live it as art. Don't separate your life in the city from your travels. Wear the same clothes, use the same bike, eat the same way. Seak what brings joy to your life. Explore your home, neighborhood, city, countryside as well as on the road, by car, on foot on a bike. Live simply at home and while on the road, not simply live. Life is not a contest with winners and losers. Learn as much as you can about the world around you and keep expanding the boundaries of the mind, body and spirit. Make the world your happy place. Be obsessed with knowing through as many ways as possible by activating all the senses. Think like a nomad. The world is their home and everything they need fits in one easy to transport bag.

[@WheelsonaBike]

Welcome back! I saw this video and thought back to our conversation - thanks for the shout out and for addressing this topic. It took me a while to get out of my post cross Canada ride blues and I think part of it was that I just didn't want to be back. That was a big one to get over for me. Once that mindset changed, I was ready to go. Excellent topic and a great video.

[@SheelaghDaly]

That was such a big trip you did, I can imagine it would bring up a lot of emotions! I’m so glad you got through it ♥️ thanks for the inspiration and assurance I’m not alone 😘

[@jeffcbowman6491]

I really appreciate your videos Sheelagh. I have recently, since March 2020, got back to biking every day. Lost 50 lbs, because of my job and have realized I am having a 2nd chance to get on a tour that I can handle. You are inspiring to me as I am in my 60's, and still working(at my job). I did a lot of bike touring in my youth. My recent biking(every day), has enabled me to get back in shape in purchasing 2 awesome bikes. I am training to go to Vancouver Island from my home in Chilliwack BC. Please keep up your videos. Very inspiring. Thank you.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Aww thank you so much! That is so exciting you are training for your next adventure. Well done!! I wish you many wonderful rides. Thank you for the lovely message :)

[@shorelinerach01]

What bike did you decide on?

[@jeffcbowman6491]

@@shorelinerach01 Hi Rachel. I have a hard tail Giant Fathom and a soft tail Marin Rift Zone. I find the soft tail takes my weight and luggage weight really well. It's not speed I'm concerned about.

[@Gurkmassa]

I watched this before embarking on my first bike trip and didn't really know how much it would apply to me. Returning to it now after the trip, I realize that despite my trip being relatively short (3 weeks), I dwell so much on the great memories from the trip. My sister even said "You were gone for 3 weeks, how much time can you possibly need to land?". But even though I was gone from "reality" for less than a month, I really settled into life on the road and started to see it as the new normal for me. I lost a good chunk of knowledge about the life back home and it was really bittersweet to return.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Aww it can certainly be a challenging transition. Sending you much love and wishing you another wonderful future adventure!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Have you ever experienced the post-bike tour blues? And if so, how do you find your way through it? 💛 Sending you lots of love and support if you're feeling the way I am right now!

[@kiitc]

I have had this feeling so much.. I immediately jump to 6th point and start looking at routes for the next trip, even though it might be months going back to it!

[@SheelaghDaly]

@@kiitc haha love it! Get right back at it, nice 🙌

[@wouldyoudomeakindnes]

all i can say is thank you for sharing the moments and posting your experience it really makes nice for the rest of us who venture, anyone who has gone into touring would know how hard is to make the time to reach the planning, rest and sightseeing now adding the video recording and editing... i'm really amazed how some can manage so really can't thank you enough for the effort and dedication

[@SheelaghDaly]

Awww thank you so much for the very kind message ♥️ your words mean so much. Thank you!!

[@damianherman6829]

I found this video at a good time. I've got back home yesterday after my European bike tour, which lasted 2 months. Thanks for all of this advice, they are incredibly helpful. 😊🚲 Greetings from Poland 🇵🇱

[@SheelaghDaly]

Aww I hope you had a wonderful trip and that your adjustment to returning home goes well ♥️

[@reinhartbigl367]

Thanks for posting that video!! You’re absolutely right about the post-tour blues…been there, done that so many times. The best way to curb those blues is to start planning the next ride! Another thing that I find helps is to continue on with one or two of the ways I did things on the tour…like using the same minimal wallet I used on tour, or drink from the same water bottle(s). I find it help to keep one toe in the world of touring while in my everyday state of reality!!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Oooh I love that!! Definitely going to keep a habit or two from tour rolling, thanks for suggesting that!

[@dems_mtb]

Your awesome and such an inspiration! Best cure for me is to just go riding!

[@goldenearsvideography]

The way I get over it (and it is real), is I start planning the next one.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Definitely the biggest help!

[@brentjennings3267]

Hi Sheelagh. You are right on! Thanks so much for putting this video out there. It will help many with the end of trip blues. Take care.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thanks so much Brent 😊

[@mariobotelho32]

For me just point 6 works fine. Planning is (almost) half of the fun.

[@julieibbott3239]

Thanks for the insights Shelagh. I’m glad you ended with #6 because that’s my go-to when I did long distance running. Having finished an 8 day bike tour in May I now have a campsite booked for a short trip and opportunities to practice learnings from the May trip. 🚴🏽 ⛺️

[@SheelaghDaly]

Nice! I hope your next trip is a great one 🙏

[@krisannelangille5928]

As always, you’re so inspiring! ❤️

[@SheelaghDaly]

Aww thank you Kris ♥️

[@JaqueParisien]

Well said Sheelagh! I feel down under myself every time I finish a tour. I will try your tips to shake it off.

[@SheelaghDaly]

I hope you find them helpful! It’s nice to know we aren’t alone in it 😊

[@xsubsquid]

Our cycle journeys usually only last 4-7 days, but I've definitely experienced the let down you're talking about it. Long distance hikers experience it too, according to KZbinrs we've been watching for awhile. I handle it a lot like you: Get reacquainted with our beasties, sit back with a mug of Earl Grey, and work at finding that elusive thing called normal (yes, it does exist as a setting on the dryer). How long does it take? It varies. A week, more or less. Then I'm eager to go again!

[@SheelaghDaly]

Oooh I could use a mug of Earl Grey! Yes I can totally understand hikers experiencing something similar. Thank you for sharing your experiences 💗

[@julielovegrove4899]

Thank you for talking about this, I was really depressed when I returned from my last long distance tour in 2019, it took me a whole year to get over it and I had some really dark days, I suppose I should have got some help from my doctor. It really worries me to go touring again that I will suffer the sadness and depression on my return again

[@SheelaghDaly]

Thank you for sharing your experience Julie ❤ I'm so sorry you went through that and that's really good you noticed it was more than just "adjustment blues" and perhaps something more that needed the support of a healthcare provider. I'm going to add a note about this important difference below the video, thank you so much for mentioning that. I've been working with a therapist since returning from my trip to work through the emotions and help support my mindset both now and for future trips. It's been really helpful! I know there are also free community therapy offerings and phone-support services if accessing therapy is challenging. Maybe chatting with your doctor or a mental health provider could help you work through those worries? Sending you much love virtually!

[@julielovegrove4899]

@@SheelaghDaly thank you for your very supportive and caring reply. Yes accessing therapy is hard here in the U.K. as it is in most countries as demand exceeds availability, but your right I could talk through my worries with a therapist about how to handle future post tour blues to prevent it becoming something much more. In my case when I left to go on my last tour I was already unhappy with my home circumstances (where I was living, my job, relationship difficulties) the tour was an escape as it made me feel free of everything. When I returned I naturally has post tour blues, and then on top of the blues I struggled to settle back into my life because all the same issues and unhappiness I had before I went on tour were still there but they were highlighted and felt much worse after having had all that freedom. The contrast was so huge that within a few weeks of my return I quickly sank very low and then I didn’t have the mental or physical energy to crawl back out of my unhappy hole and make any changes to my life. It was a really tough time. I am really pleased to hear you are talking through things and gaining insights into ways to handle your feelings after a tour, mental health is so important and this aspect of touring is rarely spoken about ❤️‍🩹

[@feliciachen4636]

I feel this way after every vacation and it takes literally MONTHS to recover 😫

[@SheelaghDaly]

It's tough! Someone suggested to me "Tarzan vacationing" i.e. having the next vacation already planned before your current one so you can feel like you're swinging from one to the next 😂 I think I'll need to give that a try! And I have found therapy helpful too :)

[@feliciachen4636]

@@SheelaghDaly Haha tarzan vacationing is an amazing term and I do find it helpful to think of my next adventure! I do a lot of journaling to remind myself too. :) Here's to your next one and mine

[@stevemullin1195]

Have you been able to tour on your bridge club yet? I'm trying to decide on which bike to get this fall to tour on....either the bridge club, ogre or disk trucker. I'm leaning towards the ogre since I can put a rholoff hub with a carbon belt drive in the future. I was looking at the priority 600 and 600x since they use a pinion gear box with the carbon belt and the frames are already split at the axle for changing out the belt. But it's got a lower max wt then the surly and they have fewer braze ons for mounting things and they are more expensive then the surly and have aluminum frames.

[@SheelaghDaly]

Hey Steve! I haven't gotten a chance to tour on it yet! Building up some new wheels for it and then can't wait to take it on tour! Yeah I looked at those three as well. It's definitely a cool feature that the Ogre is better set up for Rohloff (I decided not to do Rohloff - though I certainly appreciate its pros - so that wasn't a priority for me personally). For the places I want to tour I knew steel was the way I wanted to go, but I can certainly appreciate the lower weight of aluminum. For me, I ruled out the disc trucker because it didn't have the tire clearance I wanted - I would be happy with either the BC or Ogre in that regard. Good luck, can't wait to hear what you choose!

[@stevemullin1195]

@SheelaghDaly I'm now looking at a kona sutra at a LBS in my size...fenders, racks, B17, and 2x10 drive train....but with drop bars. Going to check it out today and do a test ride. Really want alt bars like moloko or Jones H to give me a more relaxed and upright ride. It does have mechanical/hydraulic disk brakes so switching to different bars shouldn't be difficult. I'll be taking a bike maintenance 12 week course at our local college and will get certificate at the end of the 2 courses...maybe get retirement job at local bike shop...at least I'll know how to service and build a bike after the course.

[@SheelaghDaly]

@@stevemullin1195 hope the test ride goes great! Maybe they'd even be willing to buy back the drop bar components to help offset the change to alt-bars? That's so cool you're going to take a 12 week course! Have fun!!

[@mysurlytrucker7510]

You just gota go again.

[@SheelaghDaly]

hehe agreed!

[@mysurlytrucker7510]

@@SheelaghDaly best holiday ever was in 2019 cycling all over the netherlands.

[@robertfalconscott7039]

❤😂

[@anujkerketta2947]

👍🚴‍♀️

[@stevemullin1195]

Did you ride your bridge club on this tour?

[@SheelaghDaly]

Sadly no! I finished building it just a week before leaving so felt I would risk injury launching into riding it every day. But can't wait to take it on the next one!

[@stevemullin1195]

@@SheelaghDaly I'm looking at either the moloko or butterfly bars for my BC since I have carpal tunnel issues...surgery done on my left but need to protect my dominate right wrist.

[@Pelgram]

Why don't you go bike touring with a small camper you can tow with your bike? It might be better than a tent

[@hesperianscholar1481]

Pretty grl