Burnaby fire captain Rudy Pospisil is about halfway through his latest ride.
Pospisil contacted the Burnaby NOW from just outside of Austin, Texas, where he's relaxing midway through his seven-week bicycle ride across the United States.
"I started in San Diego on Sept. 20 and when I finish on Nov. 6, election day, I'll be in St. Augustine, Florida," said Pospisil. "I think I'm riding in eight states in total and 5,000 kilometres overall."
Pospisil is doing it for a great cause, as he wants to raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
"The three most common forms of cancer are lung, breast and prostate," said Pospisil. "That's what I'm raising money for."
This ride is one of many for the avid cyclist, who has a plan to traverse 30 countries by bicycle.
So far, he's done nine and next year, he makes it 10 when he crosses Australia off the list.
"On completion of this leg, I will be just under halfway around the world, following the Guinness rules of global circumnavigation," said Pospisil.
His colleagues at the Burnaby Fire Department are cheering him on and providing moral support.
"I take all my vacation at one time," he said. "The guys help out and I get a lot of support from them."
Some of the highlights for Pospisil so far are riding into Phoenix, Arizona to meet the mayor, riding from San Francisco to Mexico, and next week, he'll be greeted by the mayor of Houston, Texas, when he arrives there on Oct. 17.
As for his visit to Austin, it's not lost on Pospisil that he's entering the hometown of a cycling legend currently entwined in a drug scandal.
"This is Lance Armstrong country," said Pospisil. "If there's one place where everybody is 100 per cent behind Lance, it's here. ... All I'll say is he started a great charitable organization which has raised millions of dollars toward cancer research."
People wishing to follow Pospisil or to donate can go to www.thirty4three.com.
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