PSA Charity Cycle Challenge 2006

The inspiration that accounted for the organization of the first PSA Charity Cycle Challenge was born from a similar event that Piers and I took part in, in 2000 where along with 92 others we cycled from Agra to Pushkar in Rajasthan, India raising money for the National Deaf Children’s Society.

From October 16th to 20th 2006, 19 + 1 (Dad) participants cycled from Chiang Mai, northwards up to the Golden Triangle – the area at the head of Thailand where the border merges with Laos and Myanmar along the Mekong River. The trip would amass 400 kilometres of cycling in 5 days from Monday to Friday in temperatures well above 30 degrees. Primarily a paved road tour, the trip also involved some off road stretches through rural hill tribe villages and a boat trip down river in a long tail, where all the equipment was crammed in.

For our very good fortune the trip was co-organised and lead by Alex Broddard of Contact Travel – www.activethailand.com. Alex has been running the trip for tourists for the past 16 years and so we were in very safe hands; needless to say the trip ran as smooth as well oiled back deraillieur!!

Participants who had raised sponsorship money (and personally paid expenses) to take part in the Challenge saw first hand where their money would go as on day three (Wednesday) the tour cycled through the village of Ban Yang, that, eight days earlier had been engulfed by a flash mud slide. (See more in the Ban Yang section).

Many of the cyclists had to endure riding with upset stomachs and regular trips to the bathroom, not to mention the odd scrape or run in with local boisterous stray dogs but by late Friday afternoon all had made it to the Golden Triangle where the celebrations began. Congratulations and thank you to all participants and support cars for your efforts physically and monetarily and thank you also to Contact Travel and the assistance team.

The Chiang Mai to Golden Triangle first Charity Cycle Challenge raised 10,000 pounds. Look out for our second Charity Cycle Challenge this October from Lhasa in Tibet to Katmandu in Nepal - (see Home Page for details).