Meet Dylan Pearce

Imagine riding your bike for a day or more…with little to no rest. Now imagine that not only are you just riding, but you are breaking records along the way. That is what Dylan Pearce of Oro-Medonte is doing. Cycling not for glory, but for a great cause – mental health awareness. 

Dylan isn’t just your average cyclist…he’s an Ultra Cyclist. And his story isn’t one of growing up in a cycling culture…in fact his cycling career has been comparatively short given his accomplishments. When he decided to do his first race, it wasn’t some 15 km time trial or even a 40 or 60 km race like most people would start out with. Nope…his first was a 500km race in the Race Across Quebec (RAQ) series. And not only did he compete and finish his first race…he won it!! 

So what do you do after that to top it? How about ride from Ottawa to Windsor, a distance of over 800km. And again, not only did he complete this Ontario East-West challenge, he did it in just over 31 hours to break the Ultra Cycling record for that route.

Then what?!? …how about cycle around Lake Ontario, a distance of over 830km. He did this one in just over 28 hours, and broke yet another Ultra Cycling record. 

As great as these records are, the motivation behind these records is even more amazing. Dylan’s reason for doing these incredible challenges is to help raise awareness and funds for mental health, and his campaign is in support of the Canadian Mental Health Association (Simcoe County). As of this writing, his GoFundMe has raised $7,250 for CMHA Simcoe. 

So what is he up to now? Well, this weekend (starting July 11) Dylan is competing in the Michigami 2026…a 1,791km race around Lake Michigan. A fully unsupported race, meaning that the riders are responsible for themselves (fluids, nutrition, rest stops, etc.), and without any support of family, friends, or crew.

You can follow Dylan’s progress at the link below.