An Ormskirk dance teacher cycled around Japan this summer to raise money for charity in honour of his late sister Esme.
Peter Richards, 22, lost his sister to pneumonia when she was just nine-years-old. Esme was diagnosed with the neurological disorder RETT Syndrome and suffered many other complications to her health. Inspired by Esme's fight, Peter cycled from Cape Soya in Hokkaido, the northernmost point of Japan, to Cape Sata in Kyushu the very south of the island. During this time he raised money for Alder Hey Children's Hospital, where Esme was treated, and Charity: Water - a non-profit organisation that funds water projects in 3rd world countries.
It took Peter three months to complete the cycle (Image: Peter Richards)
Peter said: "Esme had a complicated life but she was fighter down to her core. She was the strongest person I have ever been blessed to know and is the reason why I have the drive to do this.
"Dr. Spinty and his team prolonged her life and made all the right decisions to make her passing as peaceful as possible."
Peter works at Base Dance Academy in Ormskirk and said that it was a big supporter and primary local sponsor for the cycle.
Over the three months in Japan, he cycled approximately 3548 kilometers, which averages out to almost 100 kilometers a day - and still left time to explore the different towns and cities.
Peter said: "I did multiple days cycling 180km and sometimes even more so that I could spend more time in some of the cooler parts of Japan.
"Last year I completed a nine-day solo cycle tour in Nepal. Seeing how some people live was an incredibly shocking experience. I met families that had no power or running water, no taps, no light switches.
"What we think of as a simple part of life, like instant light and clean water, many people work hours just to get. that's why half the money we raise will be going to Charity: Water.
"I also did my first triathlon in Wales, but cycling the length of Japan was a completely different beast, with endurance to a level I wasn't aware of when I started the trip."
"I feel far stronger and more ambitious than ever, I want to do crazier things in the future" (Image: Peter Richards)
But it wasn't just his own endurance levels that Peter had to battle with during his bike ride.
Whilst cycling in Japan he had to fight his way through a typhoon. He said: "In northern Japan, I cycled through a typhoon. I was fine but I came across a village that had been completely swept away by flooding. Luckily a lorry driver helped me across the road section where the flooding was."
Another extremely difficult section of the ride Peter faced was in Nagano Prefecture, the Japanese Alps. He said: "One day of cycling I set off later than I wanted to because of the rain, so I ended up cycling up a mountain pass at around midnight. "That was the most sobering part of the ride, where I felt most alone, in the pitch back struggling to cycle up a constant 9% incline, not even sure if I'm going in the right direction."
There were also many exhilarating moments for Peter, his favourite being the day he completed the ride. He said: "By far the best moment of the ride was cycling up the final cape, although it was a steady uphill ride for most the day, it was the perfect end to the trip.
Whilst cycling in Japan he had to fight his way through a typhoon "I was insanely happy when I reached the most southern tip. It was a rush of emotion, happiness, relief, completion, for three months my head was solely focused on reaching the end point and when I got there, it was like I had a moment of clarity."
The ride has left Peter hungry for more challenges and he already has some in mind. "I feel far stronger and more ambitious than ever, I want to do crazier things in the future, I have my eyes set on a few things, including Ironman triathlons and possibly a 100-mile ultramarathon in Hawaii."
If you would like to show your support to Peter, you can donate on his JustGivingpage.
Original Article - http://www.southportvisiter.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/ormskirk-man-cycles-length-japan-13720119