Brave trio set to pedal across the Pyrenees for charity

July 6, 2017

Three 17-year-old boys are about to embark on a mammoth cycling challenge across the Pyrenees to raise money for two charities.

Adam, Lucas P and Lucas W will push themselves harder than ever before when they take on the ride known as Raid Pyrenean, during which they aim to pedal 450 miles in just 100 hours.

Cycling from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, the trio will follow a historic route traversing the great mountain range, crossing many of the cols made famous by the Tour de France.

Included in the 720km ride is 11,000m of vertical ascent, the equivalent of cycling from Chepstow to Anglesey and back and climbing Snowdon 10 times along the way.

Lucas W said: “It’s a ridiculous challenge, but it will also be incredible and we’re raising money for two very important charities.

“It will be beautiful – the scenery will be amazing. But there’s nothing like the pain of cycling 160km and waking up knowing you’ve got to do it all again.”

The boys, who will be staying in B&Bs during the four-and-a-half days they’re completing the ride, are hoping to hit their target of £15,000 to split between the Hands-Up Foundation and Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY).

“We’ll be burning about 7,000 calories a day,” Lucas W added.

“That’s a lot of food we’ll need to eat. When it gets really tough I’ll be powered by my friends. I know we’ll give each other a lot of courage and I think we’ll be very much in sync.”

The boys will be joined by Lucas P’s father, Robert, who has completed incredible cycling challenges all over the world.

They begin riding on Monday, July 10th, and hope to finish on Friday, July 14th.

The Hands-Up Foundation is a small charity raising funds and awareness for those affected by the civil war in Syria, the greatest humanitarian crisis of the 21st century.

The charity identifies projects that will have maximum impact for those in greatest need. For example, the charity funds the salaries of medical staff at the hospital in Aleppo, keeping the hospital open while encouraging other qualified doctors to stay in Syria. It also supports the National Syrian Project for Prosthetic Limbs, based in Turkey. It is estimated 30,000 people in Syria currently need prosthetic limbs.

Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) works to prevent sudden cardiac deaths in young people through awareness, screening and research, and through supporting affected families. Every week in the UK, at least 12 young people die from undiagnosed heart conditions.

For the Monmouth School for Boys’ trio, the charity is particularly important to them as fit and competitive people aged 12-30, particularly males, are the most likely candidates for these potentially tragic occurrences.

All donations will go directly to the charities.

Click here to donate to Hands-Up      Click here to donate to CRY