Even after he passed away with Alzheimer’s in 2011, Soojeong and Soohyung Choe’s grandfather continues to inspire them to great lengths — almost 5,000 kilometres, in fact.
To honour their hero and mentor, Soojeong, 19, and his brother, Soohyung, 18, are riding bikes July 2 from North York’s Banbury community to Vancouver, B.C., to raise money for Alzheimer Society of Canada.
As of press time, the York Mills Collegiate Institute students had raised over $5,000, with a goal of $20,000 to be met while on the road. Their journey will take 30 days, riding for around nine hours a day, and they plan to share their experiences on social media.
Challenges they might face along the way include unpredictable weather and an arduous trek up the Canadian Rockies.
To prepare, Soojeong and his brother have been attending spin classes six times a week at LA Fitness, on Don Mills Road, lifting weights and road cycling since this past February. Soojeong even went so far as to drop summer school classes to focus on raising awareness about Alzheimer’s.
Its not the first time the brothers have given back. Soojeong founded the Alzheimer’s Awareness Club at York Mills, which Soohyung now heads.
Despite their own level of commitment, Soojeong emphasized that the cyclists depend on a team of 25 volunteers, including York Mills students Robin Wang, Justin Chan and Ramez Hider, who were instrumental in organizing the project.
At the end of the road, Soojeong predicted an outpouring of emotion.
“I think I’ll cry because I put so much time into it,” he said. “I’ll man-cry.”