Since he began training for RAGBRAI last fall, Brian Havlik of North Liberty says he has ridden more than 600 miles doing a wheelie,

Havlik, 39, decided last year to complete the Register’s Great Annual Bicycle Ride Across Iowa while riding 100 or more miles of it doing a wheelie to raise money for Camp Courageous. He wants to use his abilities honed from formerly being a BMX rider to support the camp for the disabled.

“I turn 40 this year and I’ve always been a bike enthusiast, and I thought before I turn 40 it’d be nice to do RAGBRAI,” Havlik said. “It started out as a bucket list to-do and it’s turned into a great cause.”

Havlik and his friend, Charlie Visek, plan to ride the full seven-day route starting Sunday.

“We had a whole group lined up to go, but slowly everyone has fallen out of the mix and we lost our support driver. So now Charlie is going to pull a trailer behind his bike carrying our tents and everything with us,” Havlik said. “So it’s going to be a big adventure.”

Havlik aims to raise $10,000 for the camp. His page at go.rallyup.com/courageous-wheelies said about 40 percent of that goal had been pledged by Friday evening.

“It’s a wonderful facility with very patient and amazing people that help people with disabilities experience a lot of things that we take for granted every day,” Havlik said.

He looks forward to taking on the challenge as RAGBRAI begins.

“It’s going to be a true task because that’s a long ways to keep your balance like that. But I’m ready. I’ve been practicing for quite a bit,” he said. “I’m looking forward to the challenge and meeting a lot of new people, and hopefully hitting our goal for Camp Courageous.”

l Comments: (319) 368-8538; elianna.novitch@thegazette.com