Data centre cycle ride highlights importance of mental health

Author: Simon Rowley

The newly named DC.CC (Data Centre Cycling Club) Tour of Europe is in the final weeks of preparation ahead of its departure from Amsterdam on 26 May 2024 to commence it’s nine-day, 1,700km (1,056 mile) journey to Cannes.

The ride arrives in the glamorous French city in time for Datacloud Europe’s return to the Côte d’Azur. Once again, a group of riders are participating to raise awareness of mental health in the industry, as well as funding, to support the work of Mates in Mind (a UK charity raising awareness and addressing the stigma of poor mental health).

Tom Babbington of DPR Construction, who conceived and organised DC.CC Tour of Europe, says, “With the fast-growing nature of the data centre sector, and excitement surrounding Artificial Intelligence, it’s all too easy for the pressure on those responsible for designing, constructing and operating mission critical environments. Companies ask their people to dig deep – we’re asking the industry to dig deep and support this cause and riders getting on their bikes to show solidarity with those suffering.”

Explaining the new name (it was previously the MW Tour of Europe), Babbington continues, “In addition to the Tour of Europe, we wanted to create a greater sense of community amongst cyclists working in the sector. So we’ve started a new website, DatacenterCyclingClub.com – which we refer to as DC.CC for short – a group on Strava, and we’ll be reaching out to those working in the industry, running events and riding their bikes to see what other things we can do together to support good causes in addition to mental health.”

Although the data centre industry is striving to be inclusive, construction in particular continues to have a male-dominated culture. Mates in Mind’s 2022 Impact Report states, “Statistics have sadly shown that suicide rates in construction continue to be higher than other industries and have, in fact, increased over the last year. This is despite much greater awareness and the implementation of reactive measures in many organisations. But we know that reactive measures are not the solution.”

The reluctance of men to discuss mental wellbeing also leads to a loss of productivity with stress, anxiety, and depression resulting in around 70 million sick days being taken each year at an estimated annual cost of £70bn – £100bn (according to National Building Specification).

For Steve Baker of Synergy Mission Critical, a rider and sponsor of the tour, these are more than just statistics. He says, “My Dad was a classic male depressive, never talking to those close to him about his challenges, and never willing to accept help.” When Steve’s father took his own life, it was devastating for the family. He continues, “I vowed to proactively work on my mental health: I now have close friends I can have open discussions with, and I ensure I work on my fitness. I’m fully aware there is a strong link between physical and mental wellbeing, which is why I count my bike as one of my closest allies!”

This year, the DC.CC Tour of Europe sets a tough cycling challenge, with 100-plus miles typically the order of each day. Setting out from Amsterdam and heading to Frankfurt via Venlo, when the ride leaves Zurich on day six it heads through the Alps via the famed Gotthard Pass, down the other side into Italy, alongside the banks of Lake Maggiore to Biella, past Turin and on to Cannes via more mountains on day nine (after around 1,750 kilometres and over 14,000 metres have been climbed).

The ride’s progress can be followed online at datacentercyclingclub.com, and donations to support Mates In Mind can be made at the Tour of Europe team’s Just Giving page.