This article first appeared in The House of Wellness magazine.
For Rupert Carlyon, founder of KiwiSaver provider Koura, mountain biking isn’t solely about fitness –it’s also where he does his best brainstorming. Here’s what he has to say about the benefits of mountain biking for body and mind.
I’m an active relaxer, so I’ve never been very good at lying by a pool or reading a book for more than 20 minutes at a time. Mountain biking keeps me active and allows me to push myself physically, while also using my brain in a different way, because if I’m not fully concentrating on the more technical tracks, that’s when things go wrong.
It also allows good reflection time, especially on the cruisier trails or when I’m putting in the grunt work. There’s nothing like slogging up a hill with burning legs to get my mind thinking about anything else other than being in the hurt locker.
I am a big skier and love being outdoors for my mental and physical wellbeing but biking is a relatively new sport for me. I live in Auckland, far from the ski fields, and I didn’t have a go-to sport that would get me outdoors year-round. It’s also friendlier on the pocket than skiing – until I need to upgrade the bike!
The best part about mountain biking is that it’s an independent sport, meaning that I set the time, trail and location according to my mood and time constraints, while juggling small children and a full-on job. If I need to work a problem through in my head, I can set off alone, or we can take a trip as a family, or I can chuck a couple of beers in a backpack and head out with some mates for the afternoon.
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Rupert Carlyon says mountain biking is a great way to bond while teaching great skills, like balance, confidence and looking out for others.
I have three sons and we do family trips to Woodhill Forest. I wanted to teach them early the importance and benefits of moving physically and being outdoors. I have a shotgun seat that the kids can sit on to ride with Dad. I’m hoping to take my eldest, who is seven, with me to do the Timber Trail in the Central North Island later this year. As they grow, I’m looking forward to doing the multi-day rides around New Zealand. It’s a great way to bond while teaching great skills, like balance, confidence and looking out for others.
I think a lot about work when I’m on the bike and I’ve found it’s a valuable tool to help process my thoughts on my own time. It’s a good way to create a clear head and think about things without being distracted by phones or other people. You just have to keep an eye out for tree roots!
The finance industry has a reputation for long hours and a lot of screen time, so getting out in nature is important for me and means I don’t get stuck in a work rut. Some of my best ideas have come on the bike. I had been thinking about starting a crypto KiwiSaver fund for a while but knew there would be a bit of scepticism. While on a ride, heading up a hill, it struck me that the way to do it was with specialty funds. By the end of the bike ride I had a plan in place, and that night I wrote my board paper, and we had the funds launched four months later.
