60-Day “Ride the Nation” Will Take Thompson Through All 48 Contiguous States to Explore the Many Ways Americans Are Finding Community, Purpose and Pathways to Recovery

BOSTON, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A decade after turning to cycling as part of his own journey out of addiction and significant mental health challenges, world-renowned ultra-endurance cyclist Jack Thompson will set out today on a 10,000-mile journey across America with a singular purpose: to explore how people across the country are finding connection, community and a sense of purpose in their own lives.

Thompson will depart Boston later this morning for “Ride the Nation,” an ambitious 60-day cycling journey through all 48 contiguous United States. The ride, undertaken in partnership with NewForm, the free national sobriety, recovery and mental health platform, is expected to conclude around November 13 in Santa Cruz, California.

Rather than simply passing through America, Thompson wants to use the ride to discover what people and communities are already doing to create connection, support recovery and help one another build meaningful lives. From community organizations and recovery groups to schools, local leaders and individuals themselves, each stop will offer a different look at the people, ideas and relationships already taking shape in response to local needs.

Along the way, Thompson will stop in communities across the country to meet with individuals, young people, college students, community organizations and people working in the sobriety, recovery and mental health space. He will also hear from people navigating their own journeys through addiction, sobriety, mental health challenges, well-being, resilience, and recovery.

A little more than 10 years ago, Thompson was struggling with addiction and mental health challenges and felt he was running out of options. As he rebuilt his life, cycling became far more than exercise. It gave him structure, goals to pursue, a community to belong to and eventually a sense of purpose and accomplishment that would reshape his life and career. What began as a personal outlet ultimately became a career and a platform for helping others.

“Cycling gave me something to work toward, people to share it with and a sense of purpose I had been missing,” said Thompson. “I know a bicycle isn’t going to be that thing for everyone. Part of this ride is about discovering what that thing can look like for different people: the passions, communities and goals that give us somewhere to go and people to go there with. I want to learn from what people across America have already found and built.”

The idea for Ride the Nation began while Thompson, a native of Australia, was watching the World Cup from Spain. He was struck by the sight of people of different ages, backgrounds, identities and beliefs coming together around a shared experience. He wondered: What else can bring people together? 

For Thompson, the bicycle is particularly suited to that kind of discovery. It allows him to move through America at a human pace, crossing the space between major cities and smaller communities, experiencing how places connect to one another and meeting people he would otherwise simply pass by. Throughout the 60-day journey, individuals and communities will have opportunities to meet Thompson, participate in local events and, at select points, join portions of the ride.

At each stop, Thompson will spend time with people and organizations from across NewForm’s partner network—including the Recovery Café Network and The Phoenix—who are creating their own forms of connection, community and support. He wants to understand what is working for them, what they have learned and how their approaches reflect the particular needs of the people they serve. Thompson will also share how cycling, movement and community became foundations in his own recovery, not as a prescription for others, but as an example of what can happen when someone finds a source of purpose that is truly their own.

Jack’s approach reflects the philosophy behind NewForm, which is supporting Ride the Nation and connecting Thompson with organizations across its national partner network. “What makes Ride the Nation compelling is that Jack isn’t crossing the country with one answer for how people should find recovery, connection or well-being,” said Scott Strode, co-founder of NewForm. “He’s going to learn from what people are already building. Different communities have different needs, and people find purpose and support in remarkably different ways. That’s fundamental to NewForm: there is no single pathway that works for everyone. This ride gives us an opportunity to discover, celebrate and share more of the ways people are finding what works for them.” 

Today, Thompson is regarded as one of the world’s leading ultra-endurance cyclists. He holds multiple Guinness World Records, has raised more than half a million dollars for nonprofit organizations and has become known for extraordinary endurance challenges that combine cycling with storytelling and social impact.

The ride comes at a time when mental health and substance use challenges touch millions of Americans. Federal data show that more than one in five U.S. adults experienced a mental illness in 2025, while millions more are navigating substance use challenges and recovery. Ride the Nation will focus not only on the scale of those challenges, but on the people, communities and organizations already creating different ways to find support, connection and purpose.

The journey will culminate in Santa Cruz, California, around November 13, when Thompson completes the final miles of his 10,000-mile trek across America.

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SOURCE NewForm