LifeCyclists reach Arctic Circle

Saturday's long trek of 270km has left its toll on the cyclists taking part in this year's Travelex LifeCycle Challenge, who yesterday made it to the Arctic Circle.

The last two cyclists had clocked in at 1 a.m. the previous night and even the fast teams were feeling the brunt of the challenge. For this reason, it was decided that the team would leave late for yesterday's ride, at 10 a.m., in spite of having to cover 217 km to the next stop, Gauske in Norway.

A spokesman for the organisers said, however, that one had to choose between arriving late or having the cyclists too exhausted to go on.

Yesterday's route again included a number of climbs although most were not as steep as in previous days. There were also a number of tunnels along the route, the longest one measuring 1.2 km.

Yesterday's main attraction remained the team's arrival at the Arctic Circle, after having pedalled 124km from the town of Korgen.

They received a certificate for having made it there, had their passport stamped and set off again after a 45-minute break.

The weather was typical of the Arctic Circle, with grey skies and a light drizzle but certainly not as cold as had been feared.

For more information about the Travelex LifeCycle Challenge, which is raising money for the renal unit at St Luke's Hospital, visit www.lifecyclechallenge.com where one can donate money online and show one's support by filing comments in a guest book.

Donations can also be made by making a deposit in the LifeCycle accounts at HSBC or Bank of Valletta or alternatively sending a cheque to the LifeCycle Organisation c/o Renal Unit. Also by SMS to 50617351 for Lm1, 50618928 for Lm3, 50610208 for Lm5.