After cycling over 4,100 kilometres across the European continent in 33 days, one British man has raised over €29,000 in donations for three mental health NGOs, one being the Richmond Foundation.

A map outlining Flynn's trip.

With nothing but three changes of clothes and a charger for his mobile phone and navigating device in his bag, David Flynn left Stockholm, Sweden on August 25.

The 50-year-old cycled through Sweden, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, Sicily and, finally, Malta with the aim of raising awareness on mental health.

“We all know someone impacted by mental health issues and I wanted to do something which makes a big difference and get the message out there,” he said.

Coincidentally, he set off five days after Steve Zammit Lupi carried out a similar trip, yet in reverse, starting his journey in Malta and arriving in Stockholm 41 days later.

Flynn arrived at Triton Square, in Valletta on September 29, cycling around the landmark as his family, friends and colleagues cheered and greeted him.

Speaking to Times of Malta upon his arrival, Flynn described the whole journey as “challenging, fun and rewarding”.

“The scenery was amazing; however, the most rewarding aspect was the generosity of complete strangers that I met along the way. From a hotel owner who refused payment, so I added it to the fundraiser, to the people on the ferry on the way to Malta who donated.”

Back in February, Flynn decided to step down as CEO of Malta-based gaming company Glitnor Group. Now as the non-executive director, he has more time to spend with his loved ones and do more active projects.

“I have been working all my life, so I decided to take a step back workwise and do other things, including planning this trip,” he said.

After taking part in a mental health training course with the Richmond Foundation, he began to research the growing number of mental health issues and suicides.

We all know someone impacted by mental health issues and I wanted to do something which makes a big difference and get the message out there

Times of Malta has reported that more than one person a day contemplated dying by suicide in 2022 and reached out to the Richmond Foundation.

Those seeking the NGO’s support were mainly dealing with depression, anxiety or relational issues.

“The more I spoke to people about this ride and the initiative behind it, the more I realised it was the right cause to help,” he said.

“I decided to raise funds for NGOs in my three homes ‒ Malta, Sweden and the UK. My wife is Swedish and we lived there for a number of years before we moved and settled in Malta.”

Apart from the local NGO, the two other foundations are Mind, based in the UK, and Mind (not the same organisation) in Sweden. He plans to split the donations equally among all three.

After 33 days of cycling across Europe, Flynn arrived at Triton Square, in Valletta, on September 29.

Over €5,000 raised in two days

When Flynn originally set up his go-fund-me page ‘David’s Sweden to Malta ride for Mental Health’ he originally set out to raise £5,000 (€5,700).

“The page went up on the day I began my trip and, in just three days, we raised £5,000,” he said.

He has received over 200 donations and raised over £24,800 (over €28,000) so far and plans to keep the page open for donations for a few more days.

“I would share a quick message on social media about the day’s ride and, throughout my journey, people’s positive comments would pop up on my Garmin watch, which I would read whilst cycling. There were days when I felt down or very tired but those messages of support pushed me on.”

Preparing for his trip, Flynn spent three months training and cycling around Malta.

“In Sweden, my training included longer distances so I could test myself; during some days I would cycle around 170km to prepare my mind and body for the challenge.”

Looking back at his trip, Flynn said there were days he would cycle over 150km and others, when the terrain involved hills, he would cycle 110km.

“Italy is a lot hillier than I expected,” he joked, adding that, overall, he climbed a height of 35,015 metres, the equivalent of Mount Everest quadrupled.

“There were days when I didn’t think of anything as my mind was occupied by the beautiful sites and greenery.”

Flynn admiring the view at Passo di Mortirolo, in Italy.

Three days of rain and a broken bike

Yet, not every day saw sunshine and good cycling paths.

“There were a couple of moments I thought I was going to give up and that was still at the very beginning of the trip,” he said.

Flynn spent the first three days cycling in rainy Sweden.

“It was very challenging as even my change of clothes was wet.”

The toughest day was just a week before he completed his trip, when his bicycle frame broke in Naples, Italy.

“Before that happened, my back wheel broke but I had managed to fix it. Then, I was faced with the fact I had to replace my whole bicycle and that was definitely not on my list.”

He was lucky that a small bike shop found a similar bicycle so Flynn could continue his trip into southern Italy.

“That day, I didn’t arrive at my final destination till 11 pm.”

We might be tight on space here but we have an opportunity to make travel more safe and sustainable

While he spent most of his days cycling solo, there were periods when he was accompanied by friends or complete strangers who would cycle with him.

“Two friends flew over from the UK and cycled with me for four days in Italy. They were truly a godsend.”

On a final note, while Flynn often cycles in Malta, his trip showed that cycling can be a safe mode of transport.

“Malta should definitely look at other countries’ transport schemes, such as Germany or Denmark, and learn from them about cycling,” he said.

“We might be tight on space here but we have an opportunity to make travel more safe and sustainable.”

https://www.gofundme.com/f/davids-cycle-ride-for-mental-health 

A quick break and photo opportunity in Rome.