AN AMERICAN roadtrip is set to be the biggest challenge of a Nailsea design engineer’s life.

The 31-year-old will travel 5,000 miles across the USA this summer – on a bike.

Richard Boxhall, of Newton Green, will leave Neah Bay, in Washington State, on August 7, riding solo and unsupported for 90 days, finishing in Miami Beach, in Florida in October.

The former Nailsea School pupil, who also plans to take part in his first half Ironman contest this year, is completing the corner-to-corner challenge to raise money and awareness for the disaster relief charity ShelterBox, with his target to raise �5,900 - enough for 10 survival kits.

Richard’s first big ride was Lands End to John O’Groats in 2008 and he has also completed an end to end tour of Ireland and a solo ride from Geneva to Brussels, taking a week.

His training consists of triathlon and cycling to work. He also plans to eat a lot, with the aim to put on as much weight as possible to store fat reserves before the trip.

A rough route has been planned but could change as the tour progresses, and he hopes to tackle his own cycle maintenance and repairs, as well as camping and cooking his own meals.

He will need to cycle around 60 miles, burning around the same number of calories as running a marathon, every day in order to complete 5,000 miles in the three month time frame.

He said: “Many people think I am crazy undertaking such a massive trip, but I wanted to be able to do something that really was going to be a challenge.

“I’m really looking forward to it and just hope I can raise enough to make a real difference.”

Individuals or companies interested in sponsoring Richard can contact him on 07731 818 948 or email richard@richardonabike.com

Anyone wishing to make a donation can visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/richardonabike and more details of the trip can be found at www.richardonabike.com