It's his first time in the saddle for the Cops for Cancer Tour de North.
Peter Wharton, a new sheriff in town, hits the road with 35 other riders from Sept. 14 to 20 to raise funds for pediatric cancer research and Camp Goodtimes where sick kids can go have some fun.
The trip goes from Prince George to Prince Rupert, which is a 850-kilometre ride.
Wharton moved to Prince George in January and he'd always wanted to do the Cops for Cancer ride.
When organizer of the event, Erin Reynolds, put out the call looking for riders, he accepted the challenge.
"I threw my name in and I started peddling," Wharton smiled.
Wharton lost his dad to cancer 10 years ago and watched his best friend go through it and survive, so with those two people in mind, he decided he wanted to make a difference.
"For me, you kind of expect cancer as people get older, but for the kids - they were born into something they have no control over," Wharton said. "To be able to do something to help come up with a cure, to be able to fundraise to send them to Camp Goodtimes, which is an opportunity for them to just be kids for a bit is great. I'm a father and I couldn't imagine going through that as a parent."
Since April, Wharton has been getting out on the bike for long rides at least three times a week, including those with the Prince George Cycling Club where they go on a 40 km ride once a week.
Then Wharton reached out to the volunteer trainer, Dale Huzar, who works with the Tour de North riders, and rode with him at least once a week, as well.
"This year the smoke definitely hampered a lot of people training for the ride, I think," Wharton said. "We couldn't train outside so you're trying to do everything you could indoors, which isn't the same. Personally I'm nervous but I know that once we get going the adrenaline is going to carry me through."
Each day the riders will travel between 75 and 175 km, with the 175 km day finding the riders in the saddle for about eight hours. Challenges include Hungry Hill outside of Houston and the hill that is on the approach to Prince Rupert.
Wharton is inspired by what previous riders have done by way of fundraising is making a difference.
"The previous riders that have raised all this money are making headway with childhood cancer, which is an incredible thing to see," Wharton said. "Being new to the ride and new to Prince George the thing that I've seen is that community support has been incredible."
Each rider is asked to fundraise with $3,500 as the individual goal and the team would like to beat their total from 2016 which was $353,000. There are four tours in B.C. and so far the provincial effort has raised more than $2.2 million.
To donate visit the Canadian Cancer Society, Cops for Cancer website.
