Son finishes bike tour in place of father

Costa Mesa resident Josh Parkin, 32, rolled over the finish line of the eight-day, 525-mile California Coast Classic Bicycle Tour on Sunday in place of his father, who was injured while training for the trek.

Lafayette “Lafe” Parkin, 74, had already biked thousands of miles in preparation for the ride, when he fell and hit his head on an Aug. 31 ride near UC Irvine Medical Center, Josh Parkin said.

Lafe Parkin suffered a traumatic head injury that left him in critical condition, said Josh’s brother, Jared Parkin. He died Wednesday.

“I felt very accomplished and very happy to do that for my dad,” Josh Parkin said. “He was so excited to do it himself.”

Lafe Parkin, who had lived in Costa Mesa with his wife since 1969, had seven children and 25 grandchildren, Jared Parkin said.

The tour raises funds for the Arthritis Foundation and runs from San Francisco to Santa Monica. Josh Parkin raised $3,180, according to the tour’s website.

— Jill Cowan

Twitter: @jillcowan