DENVER – For many Coloradans, picking up biking can do wonders to transform their physical health but the positive impact of pedaling around the natural beauty we enjoy in the Centennial State can also have a far-reaching boost to mental health.
Over the last year, reporting stories for Denver7’s On Two Wheels has introduced me to many other Denver riders out there who feel the same way that I do. Biking can not only help change your perspective on life, but can uplift your mood and spirit.
“I don't know what it's like to fly but this is what it would probably feel like,” said Denver cyclist Lourdes Mendoza.
During Winter Bike to Work Day, I rode a few miles alongside Mendoza on the Cherry Creek Trail to see why she started riding.
“There's some moments when you're just zooming by at the most lovely speed and the sun is hitting you in the best, most comfortable way and you just feel everything, you smell everything, and you're just zooming by life," she said. "It feels so freeing.”
Whether it’s wheels or any other type of exercise — and no matter the motion — it matters.
'In total control of your space'
I met up with Dr. Nhu Nguyen-Siedem, professor of K-12 physical education at Metropolitan State University, to dive into the mental and physical health benefits of staying active as an adult.
“No. 1, it relieves and improves symptoms of anxiety, depression and ADHD. It releases mood-enhancing endorphins. It improves your neurotransmitters to help you be more alert, more grounded into what you're doing,” Nguyen-Siedem explained. ”It improves memory, it improves learning loss. It helps you gain confidence."
Nguyen-Siedem knows this not just as a professor of physical education, but also in her personal time. Pushing her physical limits — whether running or biking — has always been a part of her journey.
“It's a release from your day-to-day norm and it allows you to be present in the moment,” she said. “So, in terms of your own spiritual health, it's such an important way to be grounded back with the Earth that we walk on.”
For many people, this grounding to nature can help them navigate life when things around them seem uncertain. This can be a helpful break when trying to get everything done in a day has you pulled and pushed in so many different directions.
"When we talk about unplugging – for those of us that are movers that like to get on your bike – that is an emotional release of the daily grind of what you have to do, because it's your choice of what you get to do,” Nguyen-Siedem said. "As you bike or walk or run, that is the one place in your life that you are in total control of your space and how your body moves in that space. It's immensely empowering. It’s one of the few times in your life, other than in your bathroom shower, that your agenda is your own."
Coloradans have often self-reported higher rates of poor mental health. In fact, the state consistently ranks at the bottom of mental health surveys.
An April 2025 report from the Common Sense Institute Colorado (CSI), a nonpartisan research organization, found that the Centennial State had "the second-highest prevalence of mental illness in the country."
In its report, the institute cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data which showed Colorado's rate of suicide has remained above the national average over the last eight years.
Colorado's trend of poor mental health has been an issue for years.
According to Mental Health America, a nonprofit which aims to raise awareness of mental health issues, Colorado as a state ranked 43rd in the U.S. in 2018. In 2024, it ranked 46th.
The CDC also reported Colorado had the ninth-highest suicide rate in the country, according to the Colorado Health Institute (CHI).
As a contributing factor, the CHI added that Colorado is “the only state where residents are heavy consumers of four different substances: alcohol, marijuana, opioids, and cocaine.
In its report, "An Unmet Challenge," the CHI called poor mental health “a widespread problem in Colorado, especially among women, Hispanics and middle aged people.”
The CHI found that in 2023 more than one in four Coloradans reported poor mental health, which amounts to 1.5 million residents.
Coloradans struggling with depression cost the state "between $1.16 billion and $2.52 billion annually in lost productivity," according to CSI.
'Fly through life'
Related: To hear how biking has changed the lives of two Boulder cyclists, you can watch the story of Dan and Ryan who shared the life-changing impact as part of this On Two Wheels special report, in the player below.
'Cycling saved my life': How Coloradans discover biking for better mental health
The Colorado Health Institute dug deeper into age-related mental health issues citing “a midlife dip” in which Coloradans in their “prime working years reported poor mental health than youth and older adults. These results parallel a large body of scientific work that points to a midlife low in mental health and well-being.”
And that’s where many Coloradans looking to improve their mental health reconnect with a love of biking that they left behind in childhood.
“Biking makes you feel like I can fly,” said Shelley Dulsky, principal at Lincoln Elementary.
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I spoke with Dulsky during the school’s annual Bike Rodeo celebration.
“Just the other day, we rode our bikes to school and that sense — when I was 7 years old on my Schwinn blue bike with my white basket — it takes you right back to that place," she said. "And you know, you can fly through life.”
When it comes to movement and how that can change your mental health trajectory, data helps paint the picture.
A study of over one million Americans found people who exercised self-reported 43% fewer poor mental health days when compared to people who did not exercise. The Lancet Psychiatry found while there are mental health benefits from most physical activities, participating in team sports had the most benefit, with cycling as a close second.
Trying new things is exactly what Lindsey Whittington said made a difference in her mental health journey. Last summer I met Whittington, data and analysis manager for the Colorado Health Institute while working on a story about the state of mental health of Colorado’s LGBTQ+ community.
“So, during the pandemic, I was really struggling with anxiety," Whittington said. "I have always struggled with depression since I was a kiddo, but my anxiety got to the point where I was having panic attacks and having really bad issues."
Finding affirming therapy made a positive impact in her life.
“Taking all of that stuff into practice that she taught me – so much of it is around – combining my physical health and really investing more into that,” added Whittington, who also combined therapy with meditation and yoga. “Just finding things in my life that really bring love.”
Whether it’s giving biking a try or finding some other new activity, Whittington said the key is to just open yourself up to new possibilities.
“If I bump into something I'll try it and be like, ‘No, that did not bring me joy, I do not want to try that again – and then I'll move on and do something else,’” she said. “So much of it is being able to have really meaningful conversations and connecting with people and being vulnerable.”
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And if you struggle with social anxiety or are a natural introvert (like I am), then biking can make it easier to connect with people who are passionate about the same activity while also giving you personal space while sharing a ride.
“I'm not a very social person normally, so I kind of keep to myself and I really like getting to know people on the bike,” Mendoza added. “It actually allows for a nice, subtle introverted experience. Riding your own bike but then chatting with someone on the side – you can be chatting the whole time for a whole ride.”
The other positive aspect of biking and social connection is the ability to combine cycling with some other passion in your life. There are many groups in Denver that ride and meet over a shared love of other things, such as Colorado history.
The Denver Bike Fest recently held its very first event which aimed to bring together all the different vibrant riding groups across the Mile High City.
The key is just to put one foot, or pedal, in front of the other.
“When you're moving confidently with your body, it helps improve other aspects of your life. It also has social health benefits and self esteem is one huge one,” Nguyen-Siedem said.
If you were involved in team sports as a kid, you can tap into that competitive spirit to help motivate you as a grown-up kid.
“So, if team sports were the way that people once got competitive, now you get to compete with yourself as an adult. Maybe when you are playing pickleball or biking or weight training or gardening – it's self PRs, right? It's your personal best. Doing things that you love to do and finding new avenues to do that and hopefully your movement that you did as a child was a springboard for your future activity as adults,” she added.
It is a gift to be surrounded by Colorado’s natural beauty and when you take time to experience it from a slower lane, particularly pedaling around on Denver’s bike trails, the stress can leave your mind – even if only for a few moments.
“People are always moving from point A to point B with purpose – and the purpose is that rat race of life that we're often in,” said Nguyen-Siedem. “When people leave their workplace – which might have been a place of high stress – into their car and then drive through downtown, through I-25 they are essentially being put in a situation where some of the things, the drivers around them, their workplace environment – they are always at the mercy of other people.”
But biking around, feeling the wind in your hair and the bright Colorado sunshine can bring a feeling of freedom from that rat race which can do wonders for your mood and spirit.
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“In our busy lives, for folks that don't take time to exercise or to bike or do things that require movement of your own body — you're not always in control of your environment,” she said.
Nguyen-Siedem left me with one thought I have not been able to get out of my mind — a perspective that helped me better understand why biking every day has helped change my mental health for the better.
It’s about taking back your time and space while protecting your freedom.
“As you bike or walk or run – that is the one place in your life – that you are in total control of your space and how your body moves in that space. It's immensely empowering to you as a human being to create that space for yourself so that you are not always relying on others to force you to drive 65 miles an hour or for you to make sure that you have this Excel spreadsheet done by 5 p.m., right?” she said. “So, that space carved out for you is so important for your own mental, spiritual and emotional health to be grounded.”
Any discussion about the mental health impact of cycling needs to include the inherent dangers of riding a bike in Denver as bicycle and vulnerable road user deaths continue to climb in Colorado.
Denver7's first On Two Wheels special report dove into the unique hazards when biking in the Mile High City.
The special report below includes real-life video examples shared by Denver cyclists showing what it's like navigating the roads with drivers.Biking dangers in Denver: Close call stories ‘On Two Wheels’Denver7's On Two Wheels is also tracking road user data across the state in the infographics below. You can view the graphs in fullscreen mode at this link.
