A group of 20 cyclists and seven back-up support team members from Foster Clark LifeCycle Challenge 2018 left  Malta on an Emirates flight to Dubai today. Two more cyclists will be joining them from Kenya while four drivers from the Gulf region will be accompanying the group along the 2,000-kilometre route from Abu Dhabi to Salalah in Southern Oman.

Alan Curry and Dr Shirley Cefai, LifeCycle (Malta) Foundation Founder and chairperson respectively, briefed members of the media about this year's challenge, which is set to be one of the toughest challenges in the past 20 years and is considered to be among the 10 toughest cycling challenges in the world.

For the past 19 years, LifeCycle Challenge has been raising money to help the needs and care of kidney disease patients.  Apart from life-saving equipment and improved facilities, LifeCycle sponsors the Twilight Shift Van to transport patients to and from Mater Dei Hospital for their evening dialysis, as well as the software matching programme called 'Traccia' which determines the best recipient for a donated kidney. LifeCycle Foundation also offers a part sponsorship of the annual trip to Lourdes for patients and accompanying medical staff.

The Foundation is the only NGO that actively supports renal patients and their families. Through LifeCycle Challenge, the Foundation also supports research programmes at the University of Malta and generates further awareness regarding organ donation and organ transplants.

Donations can be pledged online on www.lifecyclechallenge.com and web visitors can view updates on the Foster Clark LifeCycle Challenge on Facebook page www.facebook.com/lifecyclechallenge