GULF SHORES — Al Reszel, a Minnesota native, is giving snowbird a whole new meaning as he bikes 3,500 from Key West, Florida to Minnesota.

Reszel and his wife Terry started their organization Pink Pedals 4 A Cure to raise money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF), a private breast cancer organization based in Manhattan.

"My wife Terry is a breast cancer survivor," Reszel said. "This is our sixth ride in eight years. Terry was diagnosed 12 years ago and went through treatment. We decided we wanted to try and find a cure, and since I can't do research, I ride my bike."

Reszel said he and his wife usually plan one ride per year, starting in a warm place during the spring season.

"This year we started on April 1 in Key West and will bike up the coast to Dauphin Island and through Mississippi and Baton Rouge to get back to Minnesota," Reszel said. "It should take about 43 days total, and I bike a total of 90 miles every day."

Reszel passed through Gulf Shores this weekend and said every day he bikes on back roads and highways with lower traffic, while Terry drives a support car, and makes plans for their hotel stays and meals each day.

"Each morning when we get up, we know where we are going but not where we are staying. Terry calls hotels and lets them know what we are doing, and coordinates with social media to follow along with the ride," Reszel said.

Reszel said during the off season, he trains for by biking between 20 and 30 miles a day for roughly two hours a day.

"I eat healthy to get down to a riding weight, and once the ride starts its carbs and proteins. Otherwise, your body would crash after a few days," Reszel said. "I always tell people that I'm just a normal guy, I didn't just miss the Olympic team. I'm 64 years old, and when I started this, I was only a weekend bike rider."

Reszel said he and his family work closely with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, which has been a leader in breast cancer research for the past 30 years.

"Every other ride we have done has ended up in Manhattan at the BCRF headquarters, and so far, we have raised $52,000 for breast cancer research", Reszel said.

Reszel said that one of the most challenging parts of the long-distance rides is encountering the elements and wildlife.

"I have seen a couple of alligators on the trail, and I was almost killed by a tree falling out of Jacksonville," Reszel said. "I was on a beautiful trail, going through the woods with no winds when I heard creaking and a tree the size of a refrigerator missed the edge of my bike by an inch and just exploded on the ground."

Reszel said the long routes seemed impossible to him at first. After the first ride, a 500-mile trek to Chicago, it has gotten more manageable.

"Distance riding is very mental, I approach it one day at a time," Reszel said. "Whether I am in bad wind, crossing mountains or it's raining, I just get the right gear and cadence going and I plow through."

For more information on the Reszel's foundation, go to https://pinkpedals4acure.com