Kindness of Strangers Drives British Columbia Cyclist on a Mental Health Fundraising Trip | The Canadian News

Revelstoke, BC resident Mikey Friedland had no idea what to expect when he decided to take a bike ride to raise funds and awareness for mental health.

“I didn’t have any training,” the 23-year-old said. “I planned this about three weeks before I started and learned as I went.”

Friedland pedaled for 50 long days on his ‘Ride, don’t hide to the north’ campaign, traveling more than 4,000 kilometers during the summer from the Canada-United States border in Osoyoos, BC to Tuktoyaktuk, a village in the Inuvik region of the Northwest Territories.

He weathered inclement weather, rock falls, and treacherous roads, while fleeing from bears and mosquitoes.

In the end, he raised more than $ 30,000 for the Canadian Mental Health Association, but the cyclist maintains he didn’t do it alone.

“They just stopped to give me water and fried chicken,” he said, describing one of the many kind gestures from strangers who helped him along the way.

Friedland had no cars following him to ensure his safety, and said passing motorists sometimes stopped and gave him roadside meals or snacks. Others offered him their cabins for him to sleep on.

“While I was mending my tire, a man stopped to offer me some hard-boiled eggs,” he told Global News.

“I got help from dozens of strangers, including Canadians of all backgrounds.”

It’s those personal connections and acts of kindness that surprised Friedland even more than the dangers he faced on the road.

He said the gestures and a handful of small personal victories made the trip very meaningful.

“It’s something I’m trying to bring into my life off the bike,” he explained. “Create these moments when you can get that satisfaction, that feeling of accomplishment and self-worth.”

Friedland said he was motivated to travel for mental health after facing his own struggles during the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Statistics Canada, one in five Canadians surveyed during the pandemic had at least one of three mental health problems: major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Positive detection rates were three times higher for young adults ages 18-24.

Safe at his home in Revelstoke, Friedland is still fundraising for the Canadian Mental Health Association and sharing his trip on YouTube. All funds raised will be divided among the organization’s branches in the Shuswap and Revelstoke area, Northern BC and the Yukon.