Health Minister Joe Cassar praised the participants of this year’s Betfair LifeCycle challenge, who leave on 12 August to cover 2,000kms from Prague to Sarajevo on their bicycles, to raise money for the Renal Unit at Mater Dei.
Dr Cassar met the participants at the unit, where he was briefed on this year’s trip, including the 17-week training programme and the projects for which the money was being raised. Over the years, over €1 million has been raised by LifeCycle for the unit, making a tremendous difference to the 250 patients who use the unit for dialysis.
“I admire your efforts. I understand that behind the cyclists there are families who have sacrificed precious time spent with their loved ones. Although the cyclists are very much in the limelight of this massive effort, I know that there is a very strong and well-organised back-up team and I would like to take the opportunity to thank them… and their families.”
The cyclists are currently doing around eight hours of rides virtually every day – no mean feat in this heat – meaning that they often wake up in the early morning to get at least half of their daily quota done before they go to work.
The back-up team is, in the meantime, busy with the logistics of the trip. A truck will leave next week carrying all the kitchen equipment and donated foodstuffs, ready for the start of the ordeal, which will see checkpoints set up every 40-50km to keep the cyclists supplied with their food and drink requirements. The accommodation was arranged with the help of the Foreign Ministry which made contact with mayors of the towns on the route to be able to get accommodation in places like parish halls and school gymnasiums – often provided free of charge.
For the first time, the cyclists will be equipped with GPS sets donated by Garmin, which will make it considerably easier to follow the route, although they will still be given detailed route cards and a team of two persons will go ahead of them to put up fluorescent yellow signs at each junction, which are then removed by the last car.
The participants will be leaving on 12 August at 12.45pm and well-wishers are welcome to come to the airport two hours before.
Donation lines are already open:
SMS donations: 5061-7370 for €2.33; 5061-8920for €6.99; and 5061-9229 for €11.65.
Landline donations: 5160-2020 for €10; 5170-2005 for €15; and 5180-2006 for €25.