Thursday, September 2, 2010

Fund-raising riders are geared up
Forty local cyclists will peddle across Asia to raise money for a Dubai-based children’s charity. Paul McLennan reports
The ancient temples of Cambodia and glistening beaches of Thailand will be the backdrop of a mammoth bike ride that will raise funds for youngsters with musculoskeletal deformities.
Members of Dubai Roadsters will start a gruelling nine-day 1,000km cycle across the two countries on October 25, to raise funds for Dubai-based charity, The Little Wings Foundation.
The independent non-profit organisation is dedicated to providing medical assistance to children living in the Middle East and North Africa who suffer from musculoskeletal deformities.
Dr Marc Sinclair, the founder of Little Wings, said money raised from the charity event would help some of the most disadvantaged children in the world.
“Being a charity in its first year we are delighted the Dubai Roadsters have chosen us to donate the proceeds of this event to.   
“The funds will help cover the costs of bringing children to the UAE for operations and funding our surgical missions to Palestine.”
The first day’s cycle will start in Bangkok with an 80km warm up cycle to Khao Yai National Park, which has been nominated as a World Heritage Site.
For the next eight days the average daily cycle will be upwards of 100km.
The trip will take the cyclists through some of the most picturesque areas in the region. From Bangkok, the super-fit cyclists will peddle over four days to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the temples of Angkor Wat and Siem Reap in Cambodia.
They will then spend another four days cycling back to Pattaya in Thailand.
The 40 male and female cycling enthusiasts have been lead in their preparations for this event by Thomas Tapken, regional general manager for Movenpick Hotels and Wolfgang Hohmann, owner of Wolfi’s Bike Shop in Dubai.
The training schedule involves daily cycles of up to 70km around Dubai and weekly group sessions of up to 120km every Friday morning.  “As bikers, we have enjoyed several trips over the last three years to Thailand, Jordan and within the UAE,” said Tapken.
“This time we decided to direct this enthusiasm for our sport towards a good cause and raise money at the same time.  
“The Little Wings Foundation appeals because of its focus on helping children to lead more normal lives.”
All the cyclists on the trip have paid for their own expenses which ensures that all funds raised go directly to The Little Wings Foundation.
Tapken added: “The cyclists are seeking sponsorship for the ride, to increase donations to the charity and are looking at ways to turn this into a long term support for The Little Wings Foundation.”
Donations can be made at the Movenpick Hotel Bur Dubai.
The Little Wings Foundation is a new, independent nonprofit organisation, which was founded in January this year.
Its aims are to finance treat-ment for children with deform-ities from less privileged back-grounds, provide finance for smaller projects and raise awareness to improve early detection of musculoskeletal deformities in children.
Contact Little Wings on 050 245 9195.