THAILAND. The Edrington Charity Cyclists have completed the longest day of their fifth major fundraising effort in support of a regional charity in Asia.
As reported, the Edrington Philanthropists in Cycling (EPIC) group is tackling a 600km ride in the Chiang Mai province of Northern Thailand to raise money for the Baan Dek Foundation.
Today, the team tackled the longest of their four days, with 158km of tarmac lined up. Nonetheless, they had all dragged their tired legs out of bed and filled their water bottles ready for a 6am start.
The route saw the cyclists travel south to Mae Tha before taking a picturesque route to Lamphun that saw them pass paddy fields and rows and rows of mango trees that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The lunch stop 100km in could not come soon enough as the riders were in desperate need to take cover from the sun. The hard ‘morning shift’ certainly made itself felt, as several cyclists filled their cycling caps with ice in a desperate attempt to cool down.
After lunch, the final 58km of the day were no less gruelling, with the team reporting each turn of the pedal requiring a herculean effort as tired muscles started to freeze up. To avoid the real risk of serious dehydration, the cyclists opted to take more frequent water stops to replenish their bottles and load up on electrolytes as the kilometres ticked down.
The peloton rolled in at 4pm, with smiles all round despite the day’s challenges after everyone made it in safely.
The group is now only one day away from completing its incredible mission and delivering the results of their fundraising efforts at the Bann Dek office in Chiang Mai.
As part of The Moodie Davitt Report’s Duty Calls series, which highlights the importance of our industry’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programmes, we are checking in daily with the Edrington team and sharing their progress with you via words, images, video and social media. Click on the links for reports from Day 1 and Day 2.
Edrington welcomes support from the travel retail industry and will ‘double match’ any funds contributed by the trade. The Moodie Davitt Report is delighted to get the ball (and the wheels) rolling with a donation of US$1,000.
Watch out for updates as we follow the team on its amazing ride for Baan Dek.
Further information can be found on the Edrington Charity Cyclists website, Facebook page (Edrington Charity Cyclists) and on Instagram (@edringtoncharitycyclists). Donations can be made here.
Last year, the EPIC riders cycled from Nha Trang to Danang and raised US$750,000 for Newborn Vietnam. In 2017, 50 riders from Edrington offices across the world cycled 600km across Cambodia to raise US$500,000 for M’Lop Tapang, a local charity based in Sihanoukville which supports vulnerable children.
In 2016, Edrington’s charity cyclists raced through Taiwan and raised NTD5 million (US$164,000) for the Kaohsiung Autism Foundation, which aids children with special needs. In 2015, 17 cyclists rode 400km from Kuala Lumpur to Singapore and raised S$120,000 (US$88,000) for Child at Street 11, a Singapore-based institution helping dysfunctional families break out of the poverty cycle.