Sitting astride his Cannondale bicycle in a striking red jersey, Adam Beaudoin looks ready to take on the world.

B次元官网网址淭wo and a half years ago I read Lance ArmstrongB次元官网网址檚 book ItB次元官网网址檚 Not About the Bike,B次元官网网址� said Beaudoin, 17. B次元官网网址淭hat really inspired me.B次元官网网址�

ArmstrongB次元官网网址檚 story about his will to defeat testicular cancer lit a spark in the Oak Bay teen. When two of BeaudoinB次元官网网址檚 aunts were diagnosed with cancer soon afterwards, that spark rapidly grew into an inferno.

He knew he had to do something to fight the deadly disease.

Beaudoin fired his first salvo last summer in Seattle. Joined by his parents, brother and a friend, Beaudoin took part in a Livestrong challenge in support of ArmstrongB次元官网网址檚 cancer charity. Riding 120 kilometres in a mere four and a half hours, Beaudoin raised roughly $2,500.

It was a good start, but he was eager to do more.

The proverbial lightbulb went off this spring. Beaudoin, a member of Oak Bay HighB次元官网网址檚 class of 2011 -- which included two friends stricken by cancer -- had been accepted to QueenB次元官网网址檚 University in Kingston, Ont., to study kinesiology. Knowing that he would soon be moving, Beaudoin hatched an ambitious plan.

He would ride his bike to Kingston.

B次元官网网址淭his ride will surpass my physical abilities far and wide,B次元官网网址� Beaudoin said. B次元官网网址淏ut IB次元官网网址檓 not doing this for myself. IB次元官网网址檓 doing it for the thousands of people who are threatened by cancer.B次元官网网址�

After taking the ferry to Tsawwassen on Saturday, Beaudoin set out for Hope. ItB次元官网网址檚 an appropriately named destination for day one of a month-long ride that will see Beaudoin cover 4,700 kilometres of highway in the name of charity.

The goal is to raise more than $70,000 for the B.C. Cancer Foundation. ThatB次元官网网址檚 no pie-in-the-sky figure: A close friend of the family, Steve Clark, himself a cancer survivor, pledged $5 per km that Beaudoin rides, and will match any further donations up to the equivalent of another $5 per km.

B次元官网网址淵ou are an exceptional young man, right out of high school and not only striving to be your best but also to use this experience to raise awareness for a valuable cause,B次元官网网址� Clark wrote in a letter explaining his pledge.

The distance alone is immense. But the fact that Beaudoin plans to complete his ride in time for move-in day at QueenB次元官网网址檚 on Sept. 4 makes his quest even more challenging. In order to finish on schedule, he plans to ride about 160 km per day.

B次元官网网址淚 do crazy physical challenges all the time,B次元官网网址� said Beaudoin. B次元官网网址淚 ran in the Grand Canyon earlier this year for four and a half hours without much training.

B次元官网网址淏ut this is way more intense.B次元官网网址�

Beaudoin acknowledged that while physical stamina will be key to completing his mission -- heB次元官网网址檚 been riding up to 130 km per day leading up to his departure -- it will be even more important to remain mentally strong during the long, solitary ride, which will include a five-day stretch without any accompaniment.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檒l think about anything -- calculus, chemistry, friends, situations in my life. ItB次元官网网址檚 kind of like meditation for me,B次元官网网址� he said.

The day before Beaudoin set out, his mother, Ann Marcotte, still couldnB次元官网网址檛 fully grasp the magnitude of what her son was about to undertake.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e very proud. Our heads are spinning a bit,B次元官网网址� she said.

BeaudoinB次元官网网址檚 head, however, is about as straight as can be.

B次元官网网址淲hen people hear that IB次元官网网址檓 doing it, they say B次元官网网址榳ow, youB次元官网网址檙e amazing!B次元官网网址� but I donB次元官网网址檛 see myself as an amazing kid at all,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just the way I choose to live my life.B次元官网网址�

Beaudoin is chronicling his ride on his blog, at http://adam-beaudoin.blogspot.com. The blog contains links to his B.C. Cancer Foundation donation page.

Beaudoin had already raised close to $5,000 before leaving on his journey.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 doing this for my family. IB次元官网网址檓 doing it for my grad class,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚 think I have the mental strength to make it through.B次元官网网址�

editor@oakbaynews.com

Selflessness runs deep

Those who know Adam Beaudoin best say his ambitious charity ride comes as no surprise. It's just one of many examples of a social conscience and a level of maturity that belie his youth.

"I have a career of 46 years working with youth," said Allen York, chair of the Oak Bay High counselling department. "Rarely have I seen someone as altruistic as he is."

York taught Beaudoin peer counselling at the school, and says the teen has had a profound impact on the lives of several students, to the point of preventing suicides.

"I can absolutely guarantee that there are two people alive because of Adam's skill ... in being able to get a young person to speak about their dark secret and trust him enough to go with him for appropriate medical intervention," he said.

Another way Beaudoin has shown his desire to put others before himself came when he helped lead a campaign to raise funds for a pair of solar panels for his school. His group raised $40,000.

"We're all just floored here," said his mother, Ann Marcotte. "We're constantly amazed by his initiative and spirit."