Cyclists to Begin Trek Across U.S. : Fund-raising: Two Simi men will ride for 6 1/2 hours a day for six weeks until they reach Florida. Money will aid Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.

Forget the stress of raising a small child. Never mind the bills.

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For the next six weeks, Steve Lazarus’ and Joe Lansden’s biggest concern will be nursing sore body parts: thighs, backs and, well, their backsides, too.

The 6 1/2 hours a day the two Simi Valley men will spend perched atop bicycle seats to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation will challenge the entire body, but it’s likely to be especially grueling on an area generally given short shrift in terms of its utility.

“It’s very sore on the rear end,” Lazarus, a 31-year-old private investigator, conceded with a laugh. “But it’s been a long time putting this together and it’s time to get on the road.”

More than a year of planning and nine months of weight, bike and cardiovascular training have prepared the two for their ride that will take them from San Diego to Jacksonville Beach, Fla.

Much of their time was spent soliciting potential sponsors. Sponsors in Simi Valley have already given $5,000, including a $3,000 donation from Maverick’s Barbecue Restaurant, which threw a bon voyage bash Friday afternoon.

In addition to the money already pledged, the pair will hit up service organizations and other groups along the way.

The two will follow Interstate 8 from San Diego to Interstate 10 northwest of Tucson. From there, they will pedal through New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and then into Florida.

The duo planned to push off from the Simi restaurant about 8 p.m. Friday in a symbolic departure. They planned to ride a few miles, toss the bikes in the back of the truck and drive to San Diego, where they will “officially” leave this morning at 5 a.m.

As they wend their way to Florida, they hope to pedal their way to $35,000 in donations for the national foundation, which funds research and treatment for those afflicted with the genetic disorder.

As many as 35,000 people nationwide have been diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, and the disease is unknowingly carried by 1 in 20 Americans.

It causes excessive and dangerously thick secretions to build up in the digestive tract and in the lungs.

Lazarus said his involvement with the foundation began six years ago when a friend persuaded him to participate in a fund-raiser.

“I was so touched by the effect that it has on children that I chose it as one of the things I put my volunteer efforts to,” Lazarus said.

For the cross-country trek, he teamed up with his childhood friend, 30-year-old Joe Lansden, who works at a Simi Valley law firm.

As friends and family gathered at Maverick’s, Lazarus’ girlfriend said she was a bit nervous, but handed flowers and a card to her boyfriend. Inside the envelope was a collection of $20 bills.

“That’s to buy me things,” Patty Moreno quipped.

While the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, Rebecca, frolicked nearby, Lansden said his fiance was in tears this morning.

“Raising money will be the biggest challenge, even more than the ride itself,” he said, despite straining a tendon in his knee two weeks ago on a training ride. “It’s really discouraging. The doctors are telling Steve I’m not going to make it. But I’ll just ride in pain, I guess.”

On the cusp of their departure, one foundation official said the organization supports the effort.

“They’ll really do something for people who have cystic fibrosis,” said Helen Johnson, executive director for the Southern California and Nevada chapter of the foundation. “I don’t know how anybody could ride a bike this long.”

The two will sleep in motels along the way and in a trailer pulled by a new pickup truck Lazarus leased for the trek. For the first two weeks, the men will alternate driving the truck, and then friends and volunteers will take up the driving task, allowing the two men to cycle together. And how will the two fare in such cramped quarters after 6 1/2 hours on a bike?

“We’ll be fine,” Lansden said. “But I brought a tent just in case.”