By Adam Dutton via SWNS
A dedicated son has completed a mammoth 273-mile journey across Britain in memory of his late father – on a UNICYCLE.
Izak Lewis, 29, set off on his epic charity ride on one wheel from Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex, with his reality star girlfriend on September 10.
This week, he crossed the finish line in Queensbury, West Yorks., following a month-long trip of cycling more than 20 miles a day.
He was accompanied and supported by his girlfriend Sophie Stonehouse – star of the Netflix show “Too Hot to Handle” – who cycled, drove and camped alongside him.
They endured torrential downpours, freezing conditions, and a road accident halfway through that meant their unicycle and bikes had to be quickly replaced.
Izak’s father had planned a similar ride before taking his own life in 2014 and he has now finished what he started while raising funds for a suicide prevention charity.
Izak said it was all worth it to complete a ride in memory of his dad Patrick ten years and he was finally able to scatter his ashes along the way.
Izak, a barber, said: “The ride was tough.
“The hardest day I did was 20 miles on the unicycle over six hours.
“One morning we woke up and the field where we were camping was four inches under water.
“I wasn’t really emotional until the last 100 meters and then I just started crying.
“The charity we did this for, Tough to Talk, is brilliant and I think it is helping a lot of people.
“We’ve been planning to do this ride for three or four years and I’ve been thinking about it all that time. It’s nice that we can finally put it to bed.
“Sophie has been the bedrock of the whole operation – I couldn’t have done it without her.”
The couple, from Manchester, even brought their dog, Sprout, along for the ride who traveled in Sophie’s bike basket. Izak’s half-brother Oliver also cycled along.
Sophie, 24, added: “The ride was really difficult at times but I’m so proud of Izak for finishing it.
“It’s strange to be getting back to normal life but this was an important thing for us to do and I’m glad we have finally crossed that finish line.
“I’m a woman and I stand for women’s rights but there is so much out there already for women in terms of support. I’ve got male friends and a brother and a dad.
“There’s a stigma around men being manly and not crying and I think it’s really sad, when you look at the statistics and the amount of male suicides there are.
“It’s not spoken about enough.
“Men’s mental health isn’t just about men, it’s about the relationships between men and women.”
Izak has been able to ride a unicycle since he was a child having been taught to ride one by his late father, for whom it was something of a party trick.
He said his dad had been a big personality and a lot of fun as a dad, always entertaining his children and making things.
Izak added: “If anything broke, he knew how to fix it. I wouldn’t exactly say he was a big kid but I had a fun childhood.
“We’d ride motorbikes, he used to bring me and my sister mobility scooters so we could ride around. We always did cool stuff.
“For the last couple of years, I’ve been thinking I needed to do this ride in his memory. You don’t know what’s round the corner.”
Steve Whittle, founder of Tough to Talk, said: “I was blown away that Izak wanted to do this to help prevent people feeling like he has when they lose their fathers to suicide.
“That desire of his compels us to work even more in our work.”
Roger Davies, from unicycle.com, drove all the way from Teeside to Oxfordshire on one occasion to provide them with a replacement unicycle.
Roger said: “Unicycling is great for mental health because you’re doing something you’ve got to concentrate on, so it’s good for driving away stress.
“I thought Izak’s determination in completing this ride was brilliant.”
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