Following a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the LifeCycle (Malta) Foundation will hold the 22nd edition of the Nescafé LifeCycle in Argentina and Chile.
The challenge will see 25 cyclists completing an epic 2,000-kilometre bicycle ride from Argentina’s capital Buenos Aries to Santiago in Chile in a bid to raise funds for kidney disease research and renal disease patients, LifeCycle Malta said in a statement.
The ride will take place between 31 October and 14 November and this will be the first time that it will be taking place in South America.
Speaking at the launch of the event, LifeCycle (Malta) founder Alan Curry gave some insight into the gruelling ride.
The cyclists will be pedalling average daily distances between 160 to 200 kilometres over a period of ten days, and climbing up to an elevation of about 3,500 metres in the Andes, the highest any challenge has achieved thus far.
“The cyclists will be combining intensive indoor bike training to simulate the long mountainous climbs over the Andes, as well as the usual long endurance miles here in Malta,” he explained.
Curry thanked all the cyclists as well as other support team members who will make this event possible. In particular, he thanked the sponsors of the event, especially the title sponsor, Nescafé.
Present at the launch, Head of the Nephrology and General Medicine Division at Mater Dei Hospital, Professor Emanuel Farrugia noted that the burden of chronic kidney disease is increasing worldwide and in Malta this affects approximately 10 percent of the population.
He added that the pandemic has disproportionately affected dialysis and kidney transplant patients.
"LifeCycle (Malta) continues to provide our patients with practical, emotional and financial help and truly make a real difference to our people living with chronic kidney disease,” he said.
Chile will be the 50th country in which cyclists from the Nescafé LifeCycle Challenge will be venturing since the challenge started more than 20 years ago.
Donations to the LifeCycle (Malta) Foundation can be made via Revolut on 9932 9101, by PayPal on this link: https://buff.ly/35g17CC and via SMS: 5061 7370 for €2.33; 5061 8920 for €6.99; 5061 9229 for €11.65; or via a call to 5160 2020 for €10; 5170 2005 for €15; and 5180 2006 for €25.
Donations can be made also via bank transfers via Swift code VALLMTMT, IBAN MT 18 VALL 22013000000014814521017, with the Bank name being Bank of Valletta, and account number 14814521017. For more information, one can visit https://lifecyclefoundation.com or https://www.facebook.com/LifeCycleChallenge