Not just spinning his wheels

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/05/2018 (2890 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A local cycle studio burned a lot of calories and raised some cash for a man embarking on a remarkable journey.

On April 27, Saikel Indoor Cycle Studio hosted a fundraiser and send-off for Bob Essex, a Stonewall man who will be biking across the country to inspire people living with undiagnosed mental illness to seek out help.

The cycle studio was booked to capacity as over 30 people took part in a special spin class hosted by Essex himself to raise money and awareness for his journey, dubbed Bob’s Bike Ride. The event raised more than $700, bringing to total funds raised to date to more than $5,000.

Bob’s Bike Ride raises money for, and spreads awareness of, the Learning Disabilities Association of Manitoba (LDAM).

Essex, 25, said he lived his whole life knowing something about himself was different, but he didn’t understand what it was until being diagnosed with a reading disability four years ago, and then attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) two years later.

“I knew right away that it made sense,” Essex said. “After that, school became a lot easier because I knew what my limitations were.”

Essex said the diagnosis made him realize how much easier his life could have been if only he’d been exposed sooner to the possibility that he was living with a learning disability.

“I decided there has to be a way to do things better,” Essex said. “It was really an eye-opening experience to see how many improvements could be made to the system so stuff gets caught earlier.”

Essex said a year after being diagnosed with ADHD he was searching for a way to make a difference and eventually reached out to the LDAM.

“Biking across Canada is something I’d always wanted to do,” Essex said. “So I emailed (LDAM) and told them about this idea and they phoned me two hours later and asked to meet.”

As fate would have it, Rashid Islam, president of LDAM, said his organization had been looking for someone like Essex for some time.

“Bob is exceptional,” Islam said. “You have to be a certain kind of individual to take an initiative like this, you have to have a lot of courage and determination to do it. It’s not an easy feat to bicycle across Canada.”

Islam said being a small not-for-profit organization, LDAM sometimes has difficulties making its presence known, which is what makes Essex’s initiative so valuable.

“We’re here primarily to raise awareness of learning disabilities,” Islam said. “It’s a topic that is still stigmatized in our society. We know it exists but we don’t want to talk about it because in our minds if you suffer from it, you don’t want to be known as the person drawn back developmentally-wise.”

He said that since Bob’s Bike Ride started coming together in January, his group has noticed an increase in phone calls and people reaching out for more information.

Essex expects to arrive in Victoria, B.C., on May 9 and begin his three- or four-month journey to the Atlantic the following day.

You can learn more about Essex, receive updates from his blog, and make a donation all on his website, bobsbikeride.ca