Local sports enthusiasts, the Dubai Roadsters, led by Dubai Hotelier Thomas Tapken will start a grueling 9-day, 1,000 km cycle across Cambodia and Thailand on October 25 to raise funds for Dubai-based charity The Little Wings Foundation.
The Little Wings Foundation is an independent non-profit organization, which is dedicated to providing medical assistance to children with musculoskeletal deformities living in the Middle East and North Africa. According to Dr. Marc Sinclair, the founder of the Foundation, โBeing a charity in its first year, we are delighted that the Dubai Roadsters have chosen us to [receive] the proceeds of this event. The funds will help cover the costs of bringing children to the UAE for operations and funding our surgical missions to Palestine.โ
The first dayโs cycle will start in Bangkok with an 80 km warm-up cycle to Khao Yai National Park, which has been nominated as a World Heritage Site. For the next 8 days, the average daily cycle will be upwards of 100 km. The trip will take the cyclists through some of the most picturesque areas in Cambodia and Thailand. Commencing in Bangkok, they will cycle over four days to one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the temples of Angkor Wat and Siem Reap in Cambodia, and over the proceeding 4 days, cycle back to Pattaya in Thailand.
The 40 male and female cycling enthusiasts have been lead in their preparations for this event by Thomas Tapken, regional general manager for Mรถvenpick Hotels & Resorts and Wolfgang Hohmann, owner of Wolfiโs Bike Shop in Dubai. The training schedule involves daily cycles of up to 70 km around Dubai and weekly group sessions of up to 120 km every Friday morning.
โAs bikers, we have enjoyed several trips over the last three years to Thailand, Jordan and within the UAE and decided to direct this enthusiasm for our sport towards a good cause and raise money at the same time. The Little Wings Foundation appeals because of its focus on helping children to lead more normal lives,โ said Thomas Tapken.
All the cyclists on the trip have paid for all their expenses, which ensures that all funds raised go directly to the Little Wings Foundation.
According to Tapken, โThe cyclists are seeking sponsorship for the ride to increase donations to the charity and are looking at ways to turn this into a long-term support for the Little Wings Foundation.โ
Donations can be made at the Mรถvenpick Hotel Bur Dubai.