OGDENSBURG -- Robert Paradis of Ogdensburg is pedaling to Florida to raise money for the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

On June 1, he will set out to ride 1,300 miles through eight states on solo bicycling trip to help raise both money and awareness to help in the fight of children’s cancer.

In “The Great Cycle Challenge,” cyclists set their own fund raising goal and distance challenge then pedal throughout June. The event is put on by the Children’s Cancer Research Fund.

A retired corrections officer and lifetime resident of Ogdensburg, this will be Paradis’s second year participating in this challenge.

Last year, he pedaled 1,038 miles, staying mainly in St. Lawrence County, and raised over $1,000 in donations.

“This year’s challenge needed to be bigger to draw more attention, so I decided to reach for Florida!” Paradis said in a news release.

His wife Mary will meet him at 100-mile intervals along the way carrying spare parts, tools and clothing. She also took on the task of hotel and dinner arrangements, along with moral support.

This year’s goal is to raise $3,000. All funds go to the Children’s Cancer Research Fund, which supports research and training related to the prevention, treatment and cure of childhood cancer. They also educate the public about pediatric cancers and support quality-of-life programs for pediatric cancer patients and their families.

Anyone who would like to sponsor Paradis’s challenge can do so at http://greatcyclechallenge.com/Riders/RobertParadis