WOODVILLE – Jordan “JT” Tracy has the mellow disposition and look of someone who enjoys riding a bicycle and taking in the great outdoors.
The long, lean and laid-back traveler is doing a coast-to-coast bike ride, and it’s all in the name of mental health awareness. “If you get outside and you enjoy nature, you can find a lot of life’s answers,” Tracy said.
Tracy, who was passing through Woodville on Monday afternoon, began his journey in Key West on Feb. 27. He is a 10-year veteran of the Army, and established the cause “Roll for Veterans,” in the name of raising awareness for mental health issues, not only for veterans plagued by PTSD and depression, but anyone who might be struggling, he said.
It is a battle Tracy knows all too well. After his discharge from the service, Tracy worked as a data analysist and stayed in corporate America until last year. He was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which he had no clue about, beforehand, and later became a health coach.
He has learned through his teachings and his own lived experience that the bicycle riding and being outside is key for his healing. “Anyone who is afflicted with depression, PTSD, or anything that is hindering you, if you can get outside, it will help you,” he said.
Tracy’s current journey, which he has chronicled on his website, in a day-to-day log, has him headed to Los Angeles, where he said he’ll dip his tires in the Pacific, and then on to the Grand Canyon, to dip those same tires into the Colorado River.
The mental wellness mission is one he says he will continue long after this current journey is completed. At a clip of 50 miles a day, and headed west, Tracy is committed to his cause.
At present, Tracy is riding with a support truck and trailer, and is looking for sponsors. That information can be obtained from his website, and he can be reached at rollforveterans@gmail.com.
