Vancouver Island paramedic biking elevation of Mt. Everest for cancer research
Pandemic restrictions are once again hindering efforts to launch a new Canadian Cancer Society Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock ride.
But that isn't stopping the event from happening.
Alumni riders are once again taking on the challenge, and one of them is upping his training a little early with a fundraiser dubbed "Everesting" Bear Mountain.
BC Ambulance paramedic Glen Polson will be cycling up Bear Mountain about 34 times to reach the accumulative elevation of Mount Everest, at more than 8,000 metres.
In total, Polson will be cycling about 156 kilometres as he goes up and down Bear Mountain to reach his elevation goal. The ride will start on Sunday at 3 a.m. – and could take up to 20 hours to complete.
Polson is hoping to raise one dollar for every metre climbed.
"A cancer journey isn’t easy, therefor my journey to raise money shouldn't be easy," he said.
"I’m fortunate I can go out and ride my bike. There’s lots of families and children that would love to ride their bike on Sunday but can’t, so that’s why I’m doing it, just for them," said Polson. "And hopefully it inspires other people to get out and ride their bike."
Polson says he began his training in December, and is halfway to his fundraising goal.
His online fundraiser can be found here, as well as a chance to win a fundraising prize from the Sooke Bike Club.
CTV News Vancouver Island is a proud sponsor of Cops for Cancer Tour de Rock.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.
Fallen crypto mogul Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison
Crypto entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced Thursday to 25 years in prison for a massive fraud that unravelled with the collapse of FTX, once one of the world's most popular platforms for exchanging digital currency.
A dog and a bird formed an unlikely friendship. Their separation has infuriated followers
Peggy is a stout and muscular Staffordshire bull terrier, and Molly is a magpie, an Australian bird best known for swooping on humans during breeding season, not for befriending dogs. But in an emotional video posted online, Peggy’s owners announced that the animals had been separated.