Mr Riches (70) will cycle from Land's End to John O'Groat's to highlight the little-heard-of cancer pseudomyxoma peritonei which starts as a tumour in the appendix or bowel and spreads throughout the abdomen.

Mr Riches' sister-in-law Maggie Riches (58) was diagnosed with the cancer 16 months ago and is now awaiting a second round of the extreme surgery most commonly used to treat it, which means the affected organs being sliced out.

Granddad-of-five Mr Riches said: "This radical surgery smacks so much of Stone Age medicine, there has got to be a break-through somewhere along the line."

Mrs Riches, who is married to Mr Riches' brother Chris and lives in the same street as her brother-in-law – West Road, Dersingham – was forced to give up her job as a teacher at Lynn Nursery School after being diagnosed with the killer cancer which affects one person per million per year.

In a first round of surgery her appendix, ovaries and womb were removed and in April she faces a 12-hour operation to rid her of her infected spleen, gallbladder and part of her bowel, before a round of specialist chemotherapy.

Mrs Riches said: "At first we were shattered because it changes your life completely. Now I've got a Macmillan nurse and they have been brilliant and helped us through difficult times when I was depressed and now I'm feeling very confident and positive for the future."

Mrs Riches said she was amazed by her brother-in-law's decision to use his cycling holiday as an opportunity to support research into her condition.

Mr Riches only developed an active interest in cycling when he retired and sold off his business, Lynn-based Nar Printers and has become a keen member of Kings Lynn and West Norfolk Bike Users' Group.

He will cover around 65 miles a day to complete the 900 to 1,000 miles in 16 days on his fundraising trip in May, run as a group holiday by the Cycle Touring Club.

All the money raised will go to pseudomyxoma research at Basingstoke Hospital, where Mrs Riches is being treated.

• To find out more about sponsorship contact Mr Riches at




• trevorriches@talktalk.net or ring 01485 543706.