As much as he might’ve daydreamed about it, Douglas Coates figured there was little point chasing the pursuit.

Cycling in Nova Scotia just didn’t seem worth that sort of effort.

“It’s a very short season,” said Coates, who’s from Halifax. “It doesn’t get warm enough for cycling until the end of April or beginning of May and by September it starts getting chilly again.”

Coates warmed up to the idea of cycling once he rejoined the Royal Canadian Navy and landed at the Maritime Forces Pacific post on more temperature-friendly Vancouver Island in British Columbia. He began cycling there two years ago and has continued in Oak Harbor since being assigned to the Naval Ocean Processing Facility at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island last summer.

Coates, a 36-year-old sonar operator who is part of the Canadian detachment, uses the sport of cycling as a vehicle to try to make a difference in the fight against cancer.

He is planning to cycle in The Ride to Conquer Cancer, a two-day, 200-kilometer ride from Vancouver, B.C., to Seattle in August.

He needs to raise $2,500 to participate, which benefits the BC Cancer Foundation, and finds that part of the event more daunting than the ride itself.

But the cause is near and dear to Coates, who has a history of cancer in his family going back at least four generations. As a father and husband, he’d like to see more gains in cancer research to make everyone feel less uneasy and has a particular soft spot for children.

“I lost my grandmother when I was 2. She died of cervical cancer,” Coates said.

“My grandfather died in 2012. He had prostate cancer.”

Cancer also claimed the woman his grandfather remarried in January and one of his good friends back home last month.

Liver cancer ended the life of his great-great grandfather.

“They say cancer’s not hereditary, but when you see two, three generations of family members dying of cancer, it just makes you wonder,” Coates said.

Certain types of some cancers seem to run in some families, but only a small portion of all cancers are inherited, according to the American Cancer Society.

Most cancers occur when several genetic changes take place within a cell, according to Cancer Research UK, the world’s largest independent cancer charity. People may inherit these mutated genes, which may increase their chances of developing cancer.

No matter how cancer originates, Coates’ life has been touched far too often by the disease, and he’d like to do whatever he can to help make a difference.

He trains several days a week in Oak Harbor, occasionally venturing into Coupeville. He’s spent ample time visiting businesses requesting support. Skagit Cycle has agreed to let him do a stationary spin as a fundraiser in front of its Pioneer Way store in Oak Harbor. He’s hoping to do that next month when it warms up.

“He’s incredibly committed,” Lt. Cdr. Graham Collins, the commanding officer of the Canadian detachment at NAS Whidbey. “It’s difficult to raise that sort of money. You can’t just rely on friends and family. That’s why he’s been to a lot of businesses asking for sponsorship.”

Collins oversees about 35 Canadian sailors assigned to NAS Whidbey at the Naval Ocean Processing Facility. He said a couple of them are looking to support Coates and other riders as crew members during The Ride to Conquer Cancer.

Collins also is an avid cyclist who rides to and from work and rode in the 100-mile Tour de Whidbey last year.

“Whidbey Island is just fantastic for cycling,” he said.

Like Collins, Coates tries to steer clear of State Highway 20 when he can, opting for the more open country roads.

For Coates, he’s just thankful he can see the roads. Back home in Nova Scotia, it can still be snowing until the middle of March and sometimes into April.

Temperatures of minus 10 to minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit are not uncommon in the winters there, he said.

“It’s not too bad here,” Coates said.

“I love it. There’s no snow here.”

How to help

To help support cyclist Douglas Coates in his quest to participate in The Ride to Conquer Cancer, pledges may be made on the event’s website at www.conquercancer.ca and clicking on “BC” and “Donate,” then entering the name “Douglas Coates.”