In recent years, mental health has become a global focus of discussion. People are increasingly aware of how it affects everyone. At the same time, the positive role of outdoor activities in improving mental health has gradually become a common consensus.
As early as 2019, the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom published a research result in the well-known journal “Scientific Reports”: spending 120 minutes in nature every week can significantly improve the health and well-being of participants.
This aligns with the common impression that outdoor activities, especially extreme sports enthusiasts, have strong mental resilience and seem to have little association with mental issues such as depression, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), etc.
However, in reality, even they may encounter these mental issues – because they often face immense pressure and even constant life threats.
Recently, two outdoor celebrities who have garnered much attention are typical examples: one is Mark Cavendish, who set a new record for the number of stage wins in the Tour de France, and the other is Corey Richards, an American mountaineer and photographer who recently published his personal memoir “The Colors of Everything.”
Despite being in different fields, the experiences of these two individuals are “eerily similar” – outdoor activities have brought them extraordinary moments of glory, as well as unimaginable traumas, and even staged the dreamy drama of “heroic rebirth.”
The rollercoaster life behind Cavendish’s “heroic rebirth”
On July 3, 2024, during the fifth stage of the 2024 Tour de France, Cavendish from the Isle of Man successfully made history by winning his 35th Tour de France stage victory in his professional career, breaking the previous record held by the legendary rider Eddy Merckx.
Cavendish making history by breaking Eddy Merckx’s record Source: Internet
Instantly, 39-year-old Cavendish became a global focus again. Nicknames like the “Manx Missile” and “Sprint King of All Time” reappeared in major media, and people were once again fascinated by the “hero’s rebirth.”
Even Eddie Merckx, who had won 34 Tour de France stages, publicly congratulated Cavendish on his historic achievement, saying, “Congratulations to Cavendish for creating a historic performance. Seeing such a good guy break my record makes me very happy.”
However, behind the hero’s rebirth is the tumultuous emotional journey and endless torment …
Cavendish’s video of crashing in 2017 Source: Internet
In the 2018 Tour de France, Cavendish’s best performance in a stage was only eighth place, and he eventually had to withdraw from the Tour due to being cutoff at the gates. At that time, his dirty and dejected appearance made people pity him.
2018 Cavendish in the Tour de France Source: Internet
To make matters worse, he was also diagnosed with depression. The dual struggle of the virus and depression left him feeling like he was “plunging into the abyss.”
“I went through a nightmare. I felt like I had nothing, didn’t want to do anything, and couldn’t perceive anything. Your whole being is empty, feeling worthless. I even lost the motivation to be a person, a father, a friend, a husband,” Cavendish said in the Netflix documentary “Mark Cavendish: Never Satisfied.”
The continued terrible state also put a significant strain on his marriage.
Cavendish and his wife Peta Source: Internet
“At that time, he wasn’t really himself, and we often quarreled for no reason,” Cavendish’s wife Peta said. “He lost himself in everything.”
“Although we were still sleeping in the same bed, I no longer recognized that version of him. I was afraid of being pushed to the limit and then collapsing, so our relationship would never recover,” she added.
To prevent himself from falling into despair leading to suicide, Cavendish reached an agreement with the team doctor he worked with early on: if he ever thought of doing something harmful to himself, he had to call that doctor first.
Moreover, that doctor advised Cavendish to retire – to stay away from the immense pressure brought by the sport of cycling.
Cavendish in tears after removing his number plate at the 2020 Tour of Belgium Source: Internet
In 2020, during the Ghent-Wevelgem Classic in Belgium, as Cavendish’s form declined, he removed his number plate in the final kilometers, shedding tears on the track. After the race, in an interview, he said this might be his last race of his professional career.
2020 Cavendish in tears at the track Source: Internet
Preparing for retirement, Cavendish openly admitted that cycling was just his job, and he wanted to be a good husband and father. At the same time, he began to face his illnesses squarely, actively seek treatment, and strive to overcome mental issues.
Apart from the company of his family, he would occasionally go back to the starting point of his life – the Isle of Man, where he first rode a bike. Returning there, he found his true self just like the boy he was in his childhood.
“Every time I ride, I feel free,” Cavendish said. “Besides being with my wife and children, cycling is my happiest thing.”
So how could he easily give up cycling?
In 2021, he unexpectedly qualified for the Tour de France and made a mythological return as the “king.” That year, at age 36, he won four stage victories in the Tour de France, returning to his peak.
Perhaps from that moment, cycling became a kind of “purity” to him again.
What is even more poignant is that Cavendish had already won 30 Tour de France stage victories from 2008 to 2016, but it was not until 2021 that he won his 31st Tour de France stage victory. In those five years, he experienced an unimaginable and hellish ordeal.
He originally planned to retire after the 2023 season, but unexpectedly, he fractured his collarbone due to a crash in the 8th stage and had to exit the race with regret.
In the end, unwilling to accept retirement, he retracted his retirement declaration and tried to break records again in 2024, eventually making history.
After winning his 35th Tour de France stage victory, he publicly stated that the new record was just a number. Behind the number, cycling is not just a job, but a passion he has always held onto, even a kind of obsession.
Those who know him know that Cavendish is a perfectionist. The other side of perfection is obsession, which has run through his life.
Cavendish loved cycling from an early age. Although he failed in competitions time and again, and even faced mockery from family members, he never gave up.
Cavendish and cycling both supported and redeemed each other, co-writing an inspiring legend.
Richards’ “healing” life
Compared to Cavendish, Richards’ athletic life itself is a “healing” process, and mountaineering has always been at the center of it.
The year 2016 was a fundamental turning point in Richards’ life. In that year, he successfully climbed Mount Everest without the aid of oxygen.
For climbers, reaching the summit of Everest is the greatest honor, especially without oxygen. But Richards said that moment of reaching the summit was the lowest point in his life.
Why would he say that? The answer starts from his childhood.
As early as the age of 3, Richards’ parents often took him and his brother David camping to arouse their curiosity about the natural world. Later, whenever possible, their parents would also take them skiing.
Richards at the age of 3 Source: Internet
“This curiosity has benefited me for a lifetime,” Richards said.
Although he entered the outdoor world early, Richards lost his way in spiritual, psychological, and emotional aspects. He and his brother grew up in almost constant conflict, sometimes even erupting in extremely intense clashes. However, their father did not intervene or mediate in time. Their mother, on the other hand, suffered from postpartum depression after giving birth to David.
As they grew older, the drawbacks of emotional disconnection began to show, and Richards became both socially awkward and lacked a sense of security. The only place that made him feel at ease was in the mountains.
“It is only in the mountains that I can find my identity,” Richards said. “I don’t need to be anyone else, I just need to be myself.”
Subsequently, skipping two years of high school led his life completely off track.
“When I was 12 years old, playing with 18-year-olds, it had its pros and cons for me,” Richards said. “It was both attractive and led me astray.”
By the age of 13, he had stopped attending classes and even started using drugs. To save him, his parents sent him to a behavioral therapy center.
“That treatment center was too terrifying; I learned from it not that I was a valuable member of society, but that I was born broken and needed to be fixed,” Richards said. “So I ran away from there three times. That toxic lesson always influenced me, always causing me to mess things up. I was always fighting against it.”
Richards’ terrible condition made his parents feel overwhelmed, and they had to make a choice. If they let him stay at home, the entire family would be ruined. Richards began running away from home.
“They made the best decision for themselves; I don’t blame them,” Richards said. “But for a period, I was homeless.”
Years later, his family and friends gradually re-entered his life. And during this difficult period, mountaineering once again became the core of his life.
“As time passed, I returned to the mountains, the only place where I felt safe and had a sense of identity,” Richards said. “Climbing is a marvelous allegory of human struggle. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. Climbing, exploring, and risking helped me get through that tough time.”
He eventually became a professional mountaineer and successfully summited the 8035-meter Gasherbrum II peak with two companions in 2011, making him the first American to reach an 8000-meter peak in winter.
However, during the descent in this climb, the weather deteriorated, and they encountered a level 4 avalanche.
“I felt like I entered a darker world than I had imagined. I was helplessly rolling, and the weight of my body overwhelmed me,” Richards described.
Fortunately, all three survived. Then, as a photographer, Richards took a self-portrait after the avalanche, his face wrapped in ice, making a grimace at the camera.
Richards after facing an avalanche Source: Internet
This may be his most famous photo in his photography career. Later, this photo appeared on the cover of a special edition commemorating the 125th anniversary of National Geographic magazine.
At that time, he may not have realized that the near-death experience would “trap” him, subjecting him to the torment of PTSD.
After his return, he got married and repeatedly shared his experience of surviving the avalanche and showed that iconic self-portrait to the world.
“I vaguely felt that at the time, there was an incredible weight pressing on me,” Richards said. “But at the time, I still didn’t realize what had happened.”
“Later, that feeling became stronger and stronger, and I fell deeply into great loneliness. I felt that darkness surrounded me.”
In 2012, Richards attempted to climb Everest, but he experienced a panic attack at the base of the mountain and had to cut short the climbing journey. Soon after, he was diagnosed with PTSD.
Richards experiencing a panic attack on Everest in 2012 Source: Internet
Feeling lost, he turned to alcohol to escape reality. Although he joined a climbing team in 2014, the torment of PTSD haunted him like a shadow.
“I was afraid to return to the mountains, to go climbing, to disappoint everyone,” Richards said. “All those former feelings of insecurity came back.”
What’s worse, he also ruined his marriage, concluding it with a divorce. For a while, he seemed to become that “homeless child” again, desperately seeking answers.
In the end, mountaineering pulled him out. In 2016, he began training again and attempted to summit Everest without oxygen.
He initially thought that the process of climbing Everest without oxygen would be a thorough release of his inner self, helping him overcome the torment of PTSD. However, reality proved otherwise.
“At the world’s highest point, I discovered that I could no longer escape and bury that trauma,” Richards said. “From a fable standpoint, Everest is the starting point for all other things, but for me, I had to go downhill to face everything.”
In other words, it is to face past traumas calmly – only by accepting them can one truly break free from inner demons. This was also one of the goals behind Richards’ publication of “The Colors of Everything.”
After summiting Everest without oxygen, he has been sharing his story. At the same time, he has gradually overcome the torment of past traumas.
“The first step in solving such things is honesty,” Richards says. “Once you are honest with yourself, once you accept that you have issues, it becomes easier.”
In 2019, he attempted to open a new route on the north face of Everest, and although he failed, he is no longer afraid of climbing. He once again merged with mountaineering.
Everyone needs healing
Some may think that Cavendish and Richards are not ordinary people, but they are just ordinary people with emotional distress and aspirations.
Regarding his collaboration with Netflix on a personal documentary, Cavendish stated that after being diagnosed with depression, he discovered that many people in the world are facing even more difficult circumstances, so he hopes his experiences can inspire and motivate those people.
When Richards discussed his book publishing idea, he also expressed similar sentiments. In addition, he shared a story: a lady who once contemplated suicide due to psychological issues, but after hearing Richards speak a few times, she gave up the idea of suicide and persevered.
In today’s fast-paced era, everyone may face mental challenges. Believing in the experiences of Cavendish and Richards will likely inspire every person suffering from mental illness.
From a public perspective, heroes are a sentiment and a need, but as Richards said:
You don’t have to be your own hero; accepting yourself is the most important thing.
For further reading (click to jump):
Why can the Thai cave boys rescued after being trapped for 18 days still commit suicide?
