German cyclist rides his way to the Belen fire station

BELEN — Jörg Richter has bicycled across America over and over again to raise money for a children’s charity, but this time he’s including his brothers — fellow firefighters.

Richter, a retired German firefighter, stopped for a friendly visit and an overnight stay at the Belen fire station last Thursday as he continues on his journey. The 62-year-old cyclist is on a mission — to raise funds for Care-for-Rare, a nonprofit organization that helps children with rare diseases.

Starting off in Oakland, Calif., in March, Richter is on his way to New York City by way of a bicycle and the friendly hospitality of strangers. His inspiration for the long and arduous journey is for children with terminal diseases.

“I’ve always dreamed about cycling the U.S. since I was a kid,” Richter said. “I postponed, postponed, postponed. I always wanted to cycle across the Golden Gate Bridge, and when my three best friends died in 2013 — more or less in a row — I said I wasn’t going to postpone anything anymore.”

Richter said he decided not to only do it for his personal pleasure, but for children who can’t fulfill their own dreams because they’re too ill. That’s when he found Care-for-Rare, which connects the best doctors and hospitals.

In 2015, Richter cycled from Seattle, Wash., to New York City in 3.5 months. In 2016, rode from San Francisco to NYC, and in 2018 he made the same trip in half a year.

Every trip is different in terms of the amount of money he raises for Care-for-Rare. He said the best day was when German actor Heino Fersch donated 50,000 Euros for the organization. On average, on the road he raises about $1,200 to $2,000 per trip.

“I’m taking the same path this year that I did four years ago because there are so many volunteer firefighter stations along the way,” Richter said.

It will be in Kansas City, Mo., that Richter makes his decision whether he’ll take the southern route or the northern route. There, he’ll make a special stop to visit with a terminally-ill 15-year-old girl he met in 2011 who has an incurable nerve and muscle disorder who they believe won’t live to see another birthday.

“For me, personally, the emotional footprint is more urgent for the kids,” he said. “The energy from the kids is unbelievable.”

As Richter rode in from Tucson, Ariz., into Silver City and over the Black Range to T or C was the longest stretch he’s accomplished — 90 miles and 6,000 feet of elevation. He made a stop in Socorro before riding into the Hub City last Thursday. He’s also flying the Ukraine flag in honor of the country.

Riding on the interstate, Richter says while it might sound dangerous to Americans, it’s nothing in comparison to German roads.

“It’s the safest stuff ever, with the small exception of all that (trash) on the shoulder,” he said. “I had two flats yesterday. It’s definitely no fun changing the tube on the shoulder, but otherwise it’s uncomplicated.”

So far, Richter has had to fix six flat tires during his first 1,400 miles of his trip — thanks to the roads in Arizona and New Mexico.

As he continues his ride across the country, Richter has been greeted by the friendliest of firefighters, including in Belen.

“They’ve been so gracious,” Richter said of the Belen firefighters. “They welcomed me and are great people.

“I chose New Mexico on purpose. I wanted to see the desert and more or less the boring nothing,” Richter said. “But it’s beautiful.”

After leaving Belen last Friday, he headed up to Albuquerque for a day or two, then onto Santa Fe and up to Colorado.