It is 1,600 kilometres from Land’s End in Cornwall to John O’Groats at the northernmost tip in Scotland, the two points marking the furthest limits of Great Britain, and Hilary Galea-Lauri intends to see them all.
The intrepid cyclist left Malta yesterday morning on a mission to cycle the entire distance in just 12 days, while attempting to raise €10,000 for Inspire Foundation.
“Land’s End to John O’Groats is iconic,” he told The Sunday Times of Malta before boarding his flight yesterday.
“It’s one of those rides endurance athletes always have on their bucket list.”
Mr Galea-Lauri will set off from Land’s End on Tuesday, pedalling his way through Cornwall, over Dartmoor and north along the Welsh border, skirting the Lake District into Scotland, via lochs and the Highlands to the north coast and John O’Groats.
“I’ll be on the saddle in the morning, off the saddle in the late afternoon, sleep, get up and carry on,” he said. “The first three days will be killers – 13 and 18 per cent gradients are not uncommon. And the last leg, climbing the Highlands, is equally challenging. I’m told the most difficult part will be managing headwinds, although I’m hoping the weather will be fine for the most part.”
It’s one of those rides endurance athletes always have on their bucket list
This is not the first time that Mr Galea-Lauri, who is 50 years old and a partner at KPMG, has undertaken an endurance challenge like this. He climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania in 2007 and last year cycled from London to Paris in two and a half days.
His latest challenge, he said, was an opportunity to combine what he loved doing with the chance to help others.
“I’m collecting for Inspire Foundation – they’re an organisation I’ve supported for a long time. So I encourage everyone to donate. The donations are actually helping me a great deal because they’re giving me the motivation I need to keep cycling.”
Inspire helps over 1000 individuals with various disabilities ranging from Down Syndrome, Autism, Cerebral Palsy and others.
Anyone interested in supporting the challenge can donate online at www.inspire.org.mt, using the reference “Hilary Cycle”.
Donations can also be made via text message with ‘Hilary’ in the text to 50618926 (€6.99) or 50619215 (€11.65).