B.C. man memorizes more than 600 birthdays, cycles almost 500,000 kilometres

“Riding makes me stay positive.” Adam finds out why a man has memorized more than 600 birthdays and cycled almost 500,000 kilometers.

VANCOUVER — When Oneil Heppell looks back at a photo of himself as a boy with one if his first bikes, he never forgets the feeling of riding it for the first time after enduring a long Ontario winter.

“When it was April the first,” Oneil smiles. “It was just so exciting.”

He also always remembers the day the picture was taken.

“That was June the third,” Oneil says.

You see, Oneill has a remarkable memory for dates.

“But I don’t really want to remember bad stuff,” Oneil smiles, before saying he chooses to only recall the best stuff, particularly other people’s birthdays.

“The most popular day is March 25,” Oneil says. “I met 17 people (with) that day.”

Oneil says he meets most people while riding his bike and has memorized more than 600 of their birthdays and counting.

“When I see someone, I don’t remember their name,” Oneil says. “I remember their date of birth.”

And they remember that Oneil rides his bike (which is not an e-bike) everywhere, every day, no matter the weather.

“People look at me and say, ‘You’re crazy,’” Oneil smiles. “But it’s a good crazy.”

Because Oneil also remembers how many kilometres he’s cycled, and it’s approaching half a million.

“431,000 kilometres,” Oneil says. “I’ve been keeping track of my kilometres since 1997.”

Although he keeps a running tally in his head, Oneil also hand-writes a record of every ride in a notebook. It includes a recent journey from Vancouver to Hope, 300 kilometres round-trip, which he did in 17 hours over one day.

“I (still) had so much energy at the end,” Oneil smiles. “I could have just went riding for another 40 kilometres.”

That’s because cars and buses can feel confining, but cycling is freeing.

“It’s a stress-free environment when you’re riding a bike,” Oneil says. “Just keep on riding; makes me stay positive.”

Which inspires Oneil to spread that positivity — whether it’s by contacting many of those people to wish them “happy birthday,” which he can do multiple times a day, or encouraging them to get back on their bikes and ride like they’re a kid again on the first day of spring.

“Just go for it,” Oneil smiles, before cycling off. “Just go for it!”