People from all walks of life will participate in the ALIVE cycling adventure around the coastline of the island of Sicily, to raise funds for cancer research and awareness.
This year, after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic, ALIVE Charity Foundation, a non-profit, non-governmental organisation, will work with the University of Malta Research Innovation and Development Trust (RIDT) to organise the event, which will take place between 1 and 6 May.
The Malta Independent on Sunday spoke with one of the leaders of ALIVE, Kenneth Caruana, to gather a better insight on the challenge.
“The foundation has been in operation since 2013, and it was borne out of the love for cycling among friends,” Caruana said. He said that the friends wanted to focus their hobby on a project or challenges which would do good.
In 2020 and 2021, the cycling challenges had to be cancelled due to the pandemic, but this year, ALIVE is coming back in full swing for the 8th edition, with a 1,000km cycling challenge.
“In past editions, we have managed to raise more than half a million euro which went towards RIDT for research and awareness,” Caruana said, adding that he has committed himself to collect donations and sponsors for the same aim.
This year, 35 cyclists will participate, people from all walks of life, such as pharmacists, engineers, and other different backgrounds, Caruana said. The cyclists will start their challenge from early morning, and each day could amount to between 150km and 180km, meaning around eight hours of cycling, he said.
Support vans will drive close by the cyclists in case of any emergencies, as well as provision of food and water. The route around the border of Sicily will be done clockwise, and within six days, 1,000km will be cycled under any weather conditions, Caruana explained.
“These are people who do not necessarily have a background in professional cycling, some have never even been on a bicycle before,” Caruana said. He said that participating in the challenge is a commitment, and a training program will be given to all cyclists.
“You need practice to cycle for that many kilometres, two to three hours of training is allocated daily, and participants have had to find time in their weekly schedule to train,” Caruana said.
However, what is wholesome, is the positive community between the people, who have gotten together with the same aim, to raise money for this important research, Caruana said.
Speaking on logistics, Caruana said that despite having been to northern countries, Sicily was a perfect choice for this year’s challenge, as it required less expenses towards travel and the transportation of equipment.
“Collecting donations, which rely solely on the general public and sponsors, is difficult. Cutting down on expenses means more money to donate, and that is what made Sicily ideal,” Caruana said, saying that there was less of a chance of the event being cancelled.
When asked if there is a certain amount of money expected to be raised, Caruana said that the foundation’s aim is to improve its social media presence, and that is the reason they came out with a new website. He said he hopes that donations will come in abundantly.
The funds have gone towards various cancer research, such as breast cancer, as well as working with Puttinu Cares, Caruana said.
He said that asides from the main cycling challenge organised each year, the foundation wants to organise other events throughout the year, such as walking and trekking challenges, all for cancer awareness. He added that he would like to continue awareness campaigns in schools, where they would talk about eating healthy and keeping fit.
Caruana said that persons participating all have a story to share, some have gone through personal challenges with cancer, some doing it for a self-esteem boost, ultimately all to raise funds.
The foundation’s aim is to become classified as a voluntary organisation under the President of Malta’s capping, he said.
Their main sponsor for this year is the famous juice establishment, Dr Juice, who will provide healthy food for the cyclists during their pit stops. Caruana said that even the founder of Dr Juice took interest in the initiative and will be one of the cyclists during the challenge.
Contacted by The Malta Independent, CEO of the Research Trust (RIDT) of the University of Malta Mr Wilfred Kenely, expressed his gratitude towards what the ALIVE Charity Foundation has been doing over the past years.
“Cancer research at the University of Malta took a major boost thanks to the donations that we received from ALIVE since 2013, which amounted to close to half a million euro. This generous injection made it possible for the University to finance a number of PhD scholarships and a number of cancer research projects, which resulted in new knowledge and in some cases in revealing findings. Now, after a 2-year absence due to the Covid-19 restrictions, the ALIVE cyclists are back, with the same energy and with the same determination of previous years, to support cancer research in Malta. We can never thank them enough.”
To donate to ALIVE:
BOV mobile +356 9999 9654
Bank Transfer: Alive charity foundation
Swift Code: VALLMTMT
IBAN: MT85 VALL 2201 3000 0000 4002 1498 046