> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Cyclist takes battle against lung disease to the road - URL: https://www.smdp.com/cyclist-takes-battle-against-lung-disease-to-the-road/ - Published: 2008-08-07T15:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-25T00:33:52.000Z - Author: Melody Hanatani - Tags: local, Santa Monica, #archive-import *Cyclist expects to complete statewide trip next month* Mark Junge took one deep breath, and set off on a life-affirming mission. More than six years after the retired historian from Wyoming was first diagnosed with chronic lung disease — blood clots to be exact — Junge is living a dream, defeating what he once believed was impossible given his condition — a 538-mile cycling trip from San Francisco to the Mexico border, oxygen container in tow. It’s all part of an effort to raise awareness of a little-known yet common disease called COPD, a disorder that has struck more than 12.1 million American adults. “Our objective is to show people that with a portable oxygen concentrator, you can go out and do things, whether it’s a bridge party, going out and meeting friends and the grandkids, or what I’m doing, which is a long-distance bike ride,” Junge said. The 65-year-old departed for his trek on July 24, traveling about 40 miles every day. He stopped in Santa Monica on Wednesday and is expected to depart this morning. A cross-country bike trip was something Junge always aspired to fulfill, but the bubble burst when the COPD diagnosis came in 2002. The disease is the fourth leading cause of death in the country, the condition often leading those afflicted to experience depression due to some of the symptoms, which can include muscle weakness, breathing difficulties and fatigue. Junge experienced a bout of depression following his operation, finding the light after he started working out at the YMCA and got back into his regular workout habit. “I began to think about what I always wanted to do, which was bike across the country,” he said. He secured San Diego-based SeQual Technology, which produces oxygen containers, as a sponsor and began a series of long-distance trips, starting a few years ago with a 3,500 mile expedition along the Lincoln Highway. He followed up in 2006 with a 1,700 mile trip from New York City to New Finland in Canada, and last year completed a 1,250 mile ride from San Francisco to Vancouver, his oxygen tank providing the fuel, his wife — who drives alongside — providing the moral support. “We were dealt a different hand,” his wife, Ardath Junge, said of the disease. “When that happens, you just have to take what you got and do the best you can.” The ride down California is among the most diverse of his cycling trips, from the green scenery up north to the dry brush in the south. “It’s like going from one country to the next,” Junge said. “In a span of 10 minutes, I came from a hot ranch country with grass that was cured brown and smelled of burnt grass, to 10 minutes later being near the seaside in a fog.” The trip so far has been without complications, Junge only getting off his bike unexpectedly once to walk up a steep hill, one that he could not have endured even with a pair of healthy lungs. Junge expects to finish the trip in a few days, a touch of the gate at the border concluding the journey. “We turned it into something that became bigger than ourselves,” Ardath Junge, said. “It’s something that can set an example for other people on oxygen.” Jump hedline: Cyclist expects to complete statewide trip next month Suggested pullquote: “We turned it into something that became bigger than ourselves.” ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/080708-05_01.jpg) RIDING HIGH: Cyclist Mark Junge takes a break during his ride from San Francisco to Mexico. (Photo: Photo courtesy Mark Junge) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on August 7, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/080708.pdf?ref=smdp.com)