Cyclists raising funds for the care of renal patients yesterday crossed over to Switzerland for a hard-earned rest at Lugano as they completed the second leg of their 2,000-kilometre ride from Venice to Manchester.

The 43 riders had set off on the annual Lifecycle challenge on Monday with a 200-kilometre cycle to Toscolano Maderno in Italy. They will be taking on some of the toughest bike routes in Europe.

The cyclists this year include a number of foreigners who work in Malta as well as five from the UK who joined Lifecycle in Venice. Only two are female.

The ride, dubbed The Devil’s Highway, will end at the Old Trafford, Manchester United’s football ground, after passing through Switzerland, Germany, Luxembourg, Belgium and France.

This 12th edition aims to attract 1,000 new people to register on the organ donor list and raise €200,000 to buy equipment for the renal unit, improve psychological support and buy a car to be used by unit staff to enable them to visit patients more regularly.

This year LifeCycle is also hoping to raise enough to help outpatients at the renal unit by providing permanent transport to and from the hospital as well as giving money to the Kidney Organisation to help fund cures.

LifeCycle is sponsored by Betfair, a leading betting community that had pioneered the first successful betting exchange in 2000.

Donations to the cause can be made through www.lifecyclechallenge.com or by texting 5061 7370 to donate €2.33, 5061 8920 for €7 and 5061 9229 for €11.65. One can also call 5004 9065 to give €10, 5004 9060 for €20 on 5004 9063 for €50.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.