Driven by the suicides of two close friends, Andrew Mortensen set off on the ride of a lifetime last August when he rode his bike for a whopping 17,000 miles over eight months — from the U.S. to South America amid a global pandemic. So far, he has raised more than $11,000 for one of the biggest issues facing the LGBTQ community.
“Two of my closest friends took their own lives over the past two years. I wanted to raise money for The Trevor Project to support both my friends and anyone else who’s coming out,” the 29-year-old tells CNBC Make It. “I realized through my own coming out and through meeting more and more people that this journey is not easy.”
Founded in 1998, The Trevor Project provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to the LGBTQ community under 25.
According to the organization’s National 2021 LGBTQ Youth Survey on Mental Health, 42% seriously considered taking their own lives last year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth.
The study also found that LGBTQ youth who were subjected to conversion therapy reported more than twice the rate of attempting suicide in the past year compared to those who were not.
Andrew Mortensen poses under a rainbow on his journey
Andrew Mortensen poses under a rainbow on his journeySource: Andrew Mortensen
Mortensen, who volunteers part-time at The Trevor Project taking calls from youth who need someone to talk to, said he decided to go for a long-distance ride after taking a buyout from his job as an analyst at a major airline amid the pandemic.
“I was living at home in my parents’ basement, and for good reason. I’m paying off my student loans and being financially responsible, but it didn’t help in the situation,” he says. “So I started to ride my bike more and more as a way to get out — and still have that sense of freedom and fitness and movement.”
With an initial goal of riding 4,400 miles across America — from Neah Bay, Washington to Yorktown, Virginia — Mortensen equipped himself with only a change of clothes, some nutrition bars and his cell phone to document his journey.
The journey begins
After dipping his rear tires into the Pacific Ocean in Neah Bay (the northwesternmost point in Washington state) on August 25th, Mortensen set off and never looked back — making his way past Oregon’s Cannon Beach, Idaho’s White Bird Hill summit and Montana’s Lolo Pass.
Andrew snapped this photo passing Cannon Beach in Oregon
Andrew snapped this photo passing Cannon Beach in OregonSource: Andrew Mortensen
Heading up Lolo Pass in Idaho
Heading up Lolo Pass in IdahoSource: Andrew Mortensen
“People helped me in a number of ways just spontaneously,” Mortensen recalls. “I got a flat tire in Oregon and almost immediately a car stopped, picked me up and took me into the nearest bike shop without question.”
Mortensen says he would often ride for seven to eight hours a day only to arrive to a city and nothing would be open.
“I had to occasionally knock on doors, just to find dinner or I would go to a gas station and eat cookies for dinner,” he says. “Normally that wouldn’t be too difficult, but after riding so long, it was really challenging at times.”
On Day 32, Mortensen’s family joined him in Carbondale, Illinois, and rode their bikes for the last 20 miles of his leg that day.
Andrew Mortensen’s family joins him for a leg of his journey in Illinois.
Andrew Mortensen’s family joins him for a leg of his journey in Illinois.Source: Andrew Mortensen
Miles of road in Kansas
Miles of road in KansasSource: Andrew Mortensen
For lodging, Mortensen says he slept in hostels, hotels, a tent and even the homes of people he didn’t know.
“I stayed with complete strangers who would offer me a place to stay,” he says.
Andrew Mortensen and “Crazy Larry’s Hostel” owner Larry Riddle in VirginiaSource: Andrew Mortensen
Exactly 43 days after starting his journey, Andrew arrived at Yorktown, where he dipped his front tires into the Atlantic Ocean. At that point, he had reached his fundraising goal of one dollar for every mile ridden: $4,400.
Andrew reaches Yorktown, VA, after riding 4,400 miles.
After riding 4,400 miles, Andrew reaches Yorktown, VASource: Andrew Mortensen
But it wasn’t enough.
“When I got to the other side [of the U.S.], the reception and the fundraising had gone so well that I actually decided to continue down to Key West, Florida. And the same thing happened there … I kept going,” he says.
