The Great Asian Cycling Challenge

Local charity Gulf for Good's first challenge in 2009, The Great Asian Cycling Challenge, will take a group of intrepid cyclists from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (formerly known as Saigon), to Angkor Wat in Cambodia, from March 26th to April 4th.

Six days of cycling, mainly on good back roads, will take participants around 450 kilometres through unspoilt national forests, farmland and villages.

'The challenge, while not technically difficult, will as always be a physically and mentally demanding adventure,' said G4G Chairman Brian Wilkie. 'However, as with the last similar trip, when 23 of us cycled from Bangkok to Angkor Wat in 2005, we'll get to see these wonderful countries from a viewpoint rarely experienced by ordinary tourists, plus we'll meet and help kids much less fortunate than ourselves.'

The beneficiaries of this 25th Gulf for Good challenge will be orphanages run by the charities 'Children of Vietnam' and 'CAMKids' in Cambodia. Participants will be able to visit at least one of the projects to see for themselves the wonderful work these local charities are doing for underprivileged children of the region.

According to G4G's Challenge Director, Ravi Chandran, challenge participants average around 50/50 male/female, have ranged from 17-73 years old, and from athletes to couch potatoes! 'I did the last cycling challenge', he commented. 'Some people pushed their bikes up the hills, some people raced up them, but all had a great time - and I can tell you there were plenty of tears when we met the kids at the orphanages we were helping and realized just how big an impact our funds would have'.

In line with previous events, participants will be required to pay a registration fee of AED1,850 and then raise minimum sponsorship of AED17,000. To date, G4G Challenges, with over 500 participants from 36 countries including many Gulf nationals, have raised almost one and a half million dollars for schools, hospitals, orphanages, and medical equipment in 17 countries in the Middle East, Asia and Africa.

Gulf for Good helps with fund-raising ideas; training and fitness suggestions; as well as clothing and equipment advice. On the challenge, it provides flights and transfers, accommodation, food, guides and medical backup. Other 2009 G4G adventure challenges include The India Adventure in May (hiking and cycling), the Inca Trail (Peru) in July, and the Annapurna Circuit Trek (Nepal) in October.