2012 – Lifecycle Foundation

Sponsorship is good, naturally

Julian — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 18:07:13 +0000

Alex Bonnici, on behalf of the Milk is Good Naturally Campaign presented a €2,500 donation to Alan Curry on behalf of Lifecycle. This amount was given to Lifecycle as part of the Milk is Good Naturally Campaign which sponsored Alex Bonnici throughout his participation in the Betfair Lifecycle Challenge 2012 in Australia. In their last

Homeward Bound

Julian — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 11:51:27 +0000

The 2012 Betfair LifeCycle Challenge team are now on their way back to Malta, and are due to arrive tomorrow (Friday 9th November) at 13:20. Give them the welcome home they deserve by dropping into Malta Airport arrivals hall in your lunchbreak! Meanwhile, here’s a short video shot during the last day of the challenge. [youtube]-XVYqeSgOVI[/youtube]

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Challenge Accepted, Challenge Completed

Julian — Tue, 06 Nov 2012 06:32:45 +0000

(UPDATED WITH PHOTO) It’s now about 5.30pm on Tuesday 6th November in Melbourne, Australia, and the 2012 Betfair LifeCycle Challenge is complete. After a fairly hilly 177km ride from Mansfield, which started at about 4am, the cyclists started arriving in Melbourne federal square at about 1pm, to be welcomed by members of the backup team, relatives and friends. The hard work of the last two weeks isn’t quite over, however – bikes must be packed up and rented backup team vehicles must be cleaned, before the team can enjoy the fruits of their success at a themed country and western fundraiser evening organised by Klabb Ghanneja Maltin a few km from Melbourne city centre. Over 150 guests are expected, most of them Maltese ex-pats. After what promises to be an entertaining and emotional evening, the team have a day at leisure before flying back to Malta. Apart from a few participants who are taking the opportunity to extend their trip, the challenge team will arrive in Malta Airport at 13:20 on Friday 9th November. Thank you for following the team’s progress over the last 10 days, and thank you to all our sponsors who not only made the challenge possible but have raised a significant amount of money for the Mater Dei Hospital renal unit in Malta.

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Day 9 and the Time Trial

Julian — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 08:18:08 +0000

The hills returned in Day 9, another long ride (213km) from Albury to Mansfield. Shortly after starting, the team passed from New South Wales into Victoria, the final state covered by the challenge. Today was the day of the time trial, which was measured over a 10km section of the route with an elevation gain of about 600m. And here are the top three results, in reverse order:

3. Mark Micallef

2. Jesmond Pace

1. James Mifsud

So James Mifsud is the winner of the 2012 Cliff Micallef Memorial Time Trial. Well done James, and well done to the whole team for finding more energy reserves from somewhere! It was another day of good roads and the cyclists enjoyed the whole day. Now that the challenge approaches Melbourne traffic is on the increase, though still not too heavy. Everyone is excited about the final day’s ride into Melbourne tomorrow.

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Day 8 – Smooth Sailing

Julian — Sun, 04 Nov 2012 14:50:17 +0000

Day 8, from Cootamundra to Albury, was another long ride at 222km. However, the terrain was much more amenable to long distance riding, mainly flat with some undulations. The weather was bright and quite hot, but with breezes, and most of the cyclists made the most of the day to improve their overall timings. The first cyclist arrived at the accommodation in Albury by 3.15pm, an indication of the excellent terrain and also the high fitness level the team have achieved. There were no further retirements, and some of the cyclists who had to retire hurt earlier in the challenge are now cycling with the team once more. With just two days to go before arrival in Melbourne, spirits are high. Tomorrow the challenge enters the state of Victoria and says goodbye to New South Wales. Here is some video footage sent back by the camera team.

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Day 7 – Keeping up the pace

Julian — Sat, 03 Nov 2012 11:38:33 +0000

Day was a long 226km ride from Bathurst to Cootamundra, still in New South Wales, and the team set off in the cold at 5.30am which meant they were starting to get up about 3.30am. Day 7’s terrain was easier going, and the weather decided to be a slightly more accommodating, with the day becoming warm but not hot, and cloudy. In spite of the distance, the cyclists made good time, and were met at Cootamundra by Mark Loiterton, president of Cootamundra Cycling Club, who is providing local publicity. Now only three cycling days remain, and the team will be arriving back in Malta at 13:20 on Friday 9th November – come and welcome the returning heroes in Malta Airport arrivals hall!

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At last, a shorter day

Julian — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 10:58:51 +0000

(UPDATED WITH INTERVIEW LINK) Day 6 was a little easier than previous days, at only 130km. The last cyclist arrived at the accommodation in Bathurst at around 4.30pm. Though a shorter distance was cycled, the day was still quite tough with some steep hills and undulations. The weather was hot but not stifling, and one further cyclist dropped out due to injury, leaving 22 cyclists still going. At Bathurst, the team was greeted by the Australian High Commissioner for Malta, and Lions International cooked a surprise barbeque for everyone. Some Australian friends and relatives of team members were also present. The team will be trying to get a good night’s sleep in the barn they have been provided with, since day 7 is a much longer day and they will have to get up about 3.30am. Backup team member Louise Bugeja was interviewed by Australia’s SBS – listen here.

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Day 5 – Heat and Dust

Julian — Thu, 01 Nov 2012 12:17:42 +0000

Day 5’s route (continuing through New South Wales from Muswellbrook to Mudgee) was slightly shorter than usual, about 170km, but very hilly. Also, the temperature was very hot, up to 34 degrees C, and the route included some off road and very dusty sections. One further participant had to retire today due to injuries, leaving 23 active riders, and some mechanical problems delayed a group of riders until almost dark. However, by the end of the day morale was visibly improving. Five days down, five to go!

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Day 4: Water, Water

Julian — Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:59:29 +0000

(UPDATED WITH PHOTOS) Day 4, a 156km ride from Tamworth to Muswellbrook in New South Wales, started with the 24 remaining cyclists waking up at about 4.30am and hitting the road 2 hours later, heading out into a bitterly cold morning. The day eventually turned much warmer, and the backup team were concerned about dehydration issues for the cyclists. Because much of the day’s ride was off road, commercial sources of water were not easy to come by and backup team members ended up visiting distant farms in the hope of being able to acquire some drinking water. Spirits are still high, despite 2 of the cyclists who dropped out being hospitalised in order to treat their injuries.

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Day 3 and the Challenge Continues

Julian — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 10:46:14 +0000

(UPDATED WITH PHOTOS) Day 3, a long 208km ride through New South Wales from Glen Innes to Tamworth, has proved equally as challenging as the first two days. In contrast to day 2, the ride stayed on properly surfaced roads, and there was an overall height drop rather than a gain, even though the route was quite hilly overall. The weather again played its part, alternating between heavy hail (yes, hail!) and brilliant sunshine. Sadly three more riders had to drop out due to injury, bringing the total number of withdrawals to 7. Day 1 and 2 photos have been added to earlier articles and posted on Facebook and Flickr).

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