A TEENAGE cyclist who was forced to flee Eritrea for South Wales four years ago has embarked on a 3,500-mile challenge to raise £12,000 for his mother stranded back in Africa.

Michael Wright, 16, who lives with his sister in Abergavenny and trains with the local road club, says mum Lindsay can’t get a visa to come to the UK and is trapped in strife-torn Sudan, where military crackdowns are making life intolerable.

“I just want to raise money for my mum so she can live safely,” says Michael, who is “passionate” about cycling and wants to become a professional rider.

“I was born in Eritrea and came to live in South Wales with my sister and her family four years ago when my dad died,” added the teenager, who is riding the distance from Abergavenny to his former home, and has so far raised £3,750 towards the £12,000 target in an online fundraising campaign.

“I couldn’t stay in Eritrea because it’s unsafe and I would have been forced to go into indefinite military service.

“Life in Eritrea is very difficult, it’s so bad that people risk their lives by walking across the desert and taking dangerous boats across the sea to get to a safe place.

“I was lucky, I didn’t have to do this because my dad was British and so I have a UK passport.

“Unfortunately my mum wasn’t as lucky. She sent me to live with my sister in the UK, and she went to Sudan.

“I thought she would be able to come to the UK, but she can’t get a visa, and I have only seen my mum twice in the last four years.”

Michael had to travel to Sudan to see her and was “very shocked” at what he saw.

“Life in Sudan seems to be as difficult as in Eritrea. Recently there have been a lot of protests and violence by the military to stop the protesters and I’ve been very worried about her because it was close to where she lives.

“At least I am very lucky with the fact that I can speak to her because there is internet there, but not in Eritrea.“

Cycling is the national sport in Eritrea, and Abergavenny Road Club and Welsh Off Road Academy member Michael says he is “very determined” to achieve the 3,500-mile distance to Eritrea in 10 weeks.

“Cycling has always been part of my life and it has helped me through tough times,” he admits.

“I want to be a professional cyclist one day, it is my dream, and I’m very grateful for the opportunities I have here.

“I have set a challenge that will test me mentally and physically, the distance from the UK to Eritrea, and I am going to cycle 300 to 400 miles per week.

“I have a cycling app called Strava that I use for training, which means I will be posting every ride that I do with a #3500 so you can see and track the distance.

“I’ll also post updates on Facebook and Instagram.”

Michael began the challenge on June 1 and rode 960 miles in the first three weeks.

“I have now got 2540 miles left! With everyone’s amazing support I feel like I’m going to smash this challenge!”

He wants to complete the challenge before he goes back to school in September.

“Every penny I raise will count towards my Mum having a better standard of living. The reason I have set my target at £12,000 is that after researching costs I figured it will support her until I am 18.”

To support Michael, go to gofundme.com and search for ‘Cycling 3000 miles for my mum’.