Two of the 20 LifeCycle challenge cyclists had to put in double the effort yesterday after they took a wrong turn and went some 60 kilometres off course.
They were rescued by the back-up team after they misunderstood a road sign shortly after leaving their accommodation in Austria in the morning.
The mistake would normally have been noticed within a few kilometres but the unfortunate pair saw cyclists wearing yellow shirts ahead of them, thinking they were following the rest of the team. They were then escorted back to the route.
A similar incident took place on Sunday when the cyclists and back-up team got separated and had to cover quite a few extra kilometres. It eventually got dark before the last cyclists reached their destination.
Two missed a sign and went well off track. They were eventually located and brought back by two of the back-up cars. Another cyclist missed a sign barely a few hundred metres from their accommodation and also had to be located and escorted to the school gym in Prostejov by another team.
A cyclist who was forced to drop out of the challenge earlier this week is now helping the back-up team, which hopes to see him back on the road in the coming days.
This year’s dedicated team of cyclists and crew will cover about 2,000 kilometres through seven countries in 11 days in aid of the Mater Dei Renal Unit.
A cheque payable to LifeCycle (Malta) Foundation can be sent to LifeCycle Malta, c/o Renal Unit, Mater Dei Hospital, Tal-Qroqq, MSD 2090. Donations can also be made online on www.lifecyclechallenge.com.
Donation lines are open. SMS donations: 5061 7370 for a €2.33; 5061 8920 for €6.99 and 5061 9229 for €11.65. Landline donations: 5160 2020 for €10; 5170 2005 for €15 and 5180 2006 for €25.
Lifecycle is also on Facebook (LifeCycle Challenge Malta), Flickr galleries (LifeCycle Challenge) and Twitter (LifeCycleMalta).