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He hopes the mostly off-road trip will raise $10,000 for the Alzheimer’s Association’s research fund.

Elder said his grandfather, who served as a doctor in the Pacific during World War II, was a catalyst for his interest in medicine. He also became Elder’s motivation for studying Alzheimer’s when he was diagnosed with the disease.

Currently a fellow at the National Institutes of Aging at the Laboratory of Neurogenetics, part of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Elder still has medical school ahead of him. But he said he wants to start making a difference as soon as possible.

‘‘I realized, working at NIH, how much resources and financial support matters when tackling this big goal of ours,” he said.

The trip should take two months at most, Elder said.

He and his high-school friend Ryan McLaughlin of Pennsylvania will hit the trail around May 20. They hope to average 40 miles a day.

‘‘We’ll have an interesting array of problems to go through,” Elder said. ‘‘We’re looking at emergency beacons, satellite phones — because there’s no cell reception out there — and we’re looking into state-of-the-art water purifiers. ... There are a lot of logistical things most people might not think about.”

The nonprofit Alzheimer’s Association, the nation’s largest private contributor to Alzheimer’s research, also is sponsoring Elder’s journey.

The organization last year awarded about $20 million in research grants, said Mark Germano, vice president of relationship development for the association.

‘‘We have wonderful, wonderful scientists working aggressively against the disease,” he said. ‘‘Ninety-five percent of what we know about Alzheimer’s disease, we learned in the last 15 years.”

Someone is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s every 60 seconds, Germano said. Currently 5.1 million Americans suffer from the disease, he said.

Germano said he’s most grateful for people like Elder who raise awareness.

‘‘I’m impressed with his energy, and I’m more impressed with his dedication to do this for our association,” Germano said. ‘‘... He doesn’t want to wait until he gets his medical degree to have an impact on the disease. I hope this is an inspiration for others.”

Elder said he was inspired to take the trip based on a 1,600 mile cycling adventure he took with his father in Ireland when he was 13 years old.

‘‘I’m very excited about it,” Elder said of his current trip. ‘‘I’ve got a lot of support and friendship to go along the way.”

Road for research

Joshua Elder of Gaithersburg is making a 2,490-mile bike ride to raise $10,000 forthe Alzheimer’s Association research fund.

For information on how to donate, visit joshuaelder.com, or send a check to:

Elree C. SmithRelationship EventsAlzheimer’s Association225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17Chicago, IL 60601-0373