Kindness of strangers propels B.C. cyclist on journey to raise funds for mental health

Revelstoke, B.C. resident Mike Friedland cycled for 50 days between Osoyoos, B.C. and Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories to raise funds for mental health.

Revelstoke, B.C., resident Mikey Friedland had no idea what was in store for him when he decided to go on a bike ride to raise funds and awareness for mental health.

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

Friedland cycled for 50 long days on his ‘Ride Don’t Hide for the North’ campaign, travelling more than 4,000 kilometres over the summer from the Canada-U.S. border in Osoyoos, B.C. to Tuktoyaktuk, a hamlet in the Inuvik region of the Northwest Territories.

He overcame inclement weather, rockslides and treacherous highways, while fleeing 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 many kind gestures from strangers who helped him along the way.

Friedland had no car following him to ensure his safety, and said passing motorists would sometimes pull over and give him roadside meals or snacks. Others offered up their cabins for him to sleep in.

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