Bismarck man plans 1,700 mile motorcycle ride to Texas in honor of stepson and suicide prevention

BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - Since 2009, deaths by suicide have slowly risen in North Dakota. A Bismarck and Minnesota man teamed up to raise awareness of suicide prevention with motorcycles.

Mike Maples, the president of Brother’s Keepers Motorcycle Club lost his stepson to suicide. He teamed up with the North Dakota Suicide Prevention Coalition and plans to ride his motorcycle from the North Dakota-Canada border to Texas.

“One of the things with me with riding the bike is it’s my therapy. I get out on the open road and all my problems just blow away in the wind. You see the old post cards of people used to send way back in the day where they’re on vacation: ‘wish you were here’,” said Maples.

For more information on the ride check their website: https://www.ndspc.org/