Burnaby fire captain Rudy Pospisil completed his 9,600-kilometre, 12week ride from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean a day early.
Pospisil jumped into the Atlantic on Monday, a day before his intended completion date of Nov. 6, the date of the U.S. presidential election, to celebrate the ride where he climbed more than 55,0000 vertical metres.
Pospisil, whose goal is to ride around the world, is approximately halfway to that goal, but he has to head back to Burnaby for work and to accumulate enough vacation time for his next bike ride.
Pospisil talked to the Burnaby NOW several weeks ago from just outside of Austin, Texas, where he was relaxing.
"I started in San Diego on Sept. 20 and when I finish . I'll be in St. Augustine, Florida," said Pospisil. "I think I'm riding in eight states in total."
Pospisil said he is doing it 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 will make 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 have included riding into Phoenix, Arizona to meet the mayor, riding from San Francisco to Mexico, and being greeted by the mayor of Houston, Texas.
Pospisil said he rode in temperatures of 50 degrees Celsius in Arizona and encountered big headwinds in Florida, partially created by Hurricane Sandy.
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.thir ty4three.com.
Ride complete: Rudy Pospisil, is a Burnaby fire captain who hopes to ride around the world while raising funds and awareness for cancer research.
staff reporter
