At 70 years old, John Crouch is more than halfway through a cycling trip so epic, most people half his age would have more than just a second thought at taking even the first pedal stroke.
Over the course of 17 days, Crouch has cycled a full 1,760 kilometres from Whitehorse to Prince George via Highways 37 and 16. And while he may have lost a few pounds on the way, he's ready to cover the remaining 740 kilometres to Horseshoe Bay for the ferry trip home to Victoria.
In part, the retired teacher - he taught in Prince George for two years in the late 1960s after he and his family immigrated from England - is taking on the trek simply because it's time to do so.
"I just wanted to celebrate by doing something for myself that was challenging physically and to prove to myself that I can still do long, endurance-type feats," Crouch said Thursday during a rest day in Prince George.
But it's also about raising awareness and research funding for Parkinson's disease, a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system.
A middle-aged nephew has been suffering from early-onset Parkinson's for about 10 years now, "and it has raised havoc with his life," Crouch said.
"Not only the symptoms of the disease itself, but the medication that they start people off on. He suffered from depression, weight gain, sleeplessness and his life was just turned upside down."
The condition forced his nephew to leave his former profession but, despite ongoing tremors in his hands, has been able to take up photography to make a living.
"It's amazing," Crouch said. "When you're using the hand, the tremor stops. So as long as you can get hold of the camera, it's not active."
Crouch is no newcomer to endurance endeavours. He's run 16 marathons, won his age group at the world duathlon championship at age 60, and to get ready for his current escapade, Crouch cycled roughly 1,400 kilometres around Washington State.
"It's not for everybody but it's certainly doable if people take care of themselves," Crouch said of what it takes.
Covering 100 to 120 kilometres per day, Crouch is riding a 26.5 pound hybrid bike - a heavy touring bike with straight handlebars, road tires and a hill-friendly gear ratio donated by Mountain Equipment Co-op - carrying 62.5 pounds of camping equipment and food.
Other than a persistently overcast sky and a few steep climbs, he has run into little trouble. Crouch has counted 14 bears along the way, eight of them in one day, but they haven't been a bother while the truckers and other motorists have taken care to steer clear.
He figures he burns 5,000 to 6,000 calories a day and makes a point of keeping well hydrated and stopping every two or three hours to eat.
Hosted in Prince George by a member of the local Parkinson's support group when in Prince George, Crouch feels he's now on the home stretch but is bracing himself for the Duffy Lake Road between Lillooet and Pemberton, a particularly steep and twisty climb.
"Every day I feel good on the bike," Crouch said.
"It's a kind of a mediation. I'm enjoying the scenery and you're in your own mind. I think about my nephew a lot."
To track Crouch's progress, go to Facebook and type in Johns Ride for Parkinsons. Information on donating can be found by going to www.parkinson.bc.ca and clicking on events.
