Comedian Ross Noble has joked that he’s in better shape mentally due to investing time and money into motorcycling rather than seeing a therapist.
The North east born-and-raised funnyman, who lives in Australia, has just begun touring Down Under and will return to the UK later this year as part of his 2025-26 Cranium of Curiosities tour.
His demanding schedule will see him play 56 dates across an eight-month period and the 49-year-old knows just what he’ll be doing to help himself switch off and recover in between shows.
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“Some people talk about putting the helmet on and the anonymity,” the Geordie told popular motorcycle podcast Full Chat, powered by BIKESURE
“(It’s not that), It’s more that there’s nothing wrong with wanting to be on your own. I spend all my time with my family. I love them to bits but there’s something about riding motorbikes. Putting a helmet on is one of the few things that makes you really concentrate and keeps you present. Some people go: ‘I love to sit in a chair and just look at the view’. But that’s no good for me. I might be looking at the view but my head is somewhere else, I get lost in the noise.
“On a bike, noise is still happening but it’s pushed to the side because you’re actively riding. On a motorway you go past a truck and you get the wobble. You’re on a country lane and you come round the corner and there’s a crack in the tarmac or there’s some leaves there, your brain is constantly making all of these decisions. You can still think your thoughts but if I go for a ride, (well) motorbikes are brilliant for working out your s***.
“You might not think you’ve thought about whatever is going on in your life but you have. You’ve been so focused on reacting to the stuff, you’re thinking these things and it’s subliminal.”
The fan of two wheels recently starred in ITV’s Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters and discussed the show – and a host of other topics – during his appearance on the podcast.
He explored how he got into motorcycling and why he’s as passionate about putting on his trainers and pounding the tarmac rather than riding over it.
“I’m really into trail running and there’s a real similarity between the running and the biking,” he added during the near hour-long episode.
“Some people get it from finding a nice windy road and for me, especially with a trials bike, you can have an area that’s no bigger than a couple of hundred metres (and it’ll do the same). A bit of a hill and a couple of steps and you set up a course, I could ride there for five to six hours. The petrol will run out before I do.
“There’s an idea that motorbikes are a macho and tough guy thing. But from a mental health point of view, you can read 100 self help books (and it won’t be as helpful). I would say it’s cheaper to buy a motorbike than it is to go and visit a therapist on a regular basis.”
