The family of Cliff Micallef this morning were among those who greeted the participants of the Lifecycle Challenge upon their return to Malta.

Mr Micallef was killed while cycling at Bahar ic-Caghaq days before he was to take part in the challenge.

The cyclists covered 2,000 km from Istanbul to Damascus.

Max Micallef, Cliff's eldest son, handed out pictures of his father and said his family had wanted to be present for the arrival of the group to express their support.

Max said that he intends to take part in next year's challenge, following on his father's footsteps.

Alan Curry, chairman of the Lifecycle Organisation, said this was a challenge held under a cloud in view of Cliff's death, but it was otherwise a fantastic experience. This was one of the best teams ever, he said, and the hospitality they had received in Turkey and Syria was also the best ever.

Eighteen cyclists had started the journey - whose purpose is to raise funds for the Renal Unit at Mater Dei Hospital and to raise awareness on organ donations. Twelve cyclists completed the feat.

Mr Curry said the team hoped to raise €100,000 from this year's challenge.

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