Cycle pals embark on 14,000 mile adventure
APAIR of university pals are gearing up to try and smash a world cycling record for charity by conquering the world’s longest road.
Chris Lally, 21, from Richmond Hill in Macclesfield, and his pal Danny Beech, 22, from Leeds, plan to cycle the Pan-American Highway from Alaska to Argentina in 100 days to raise £14,000 for brain injury charity Headway.
They are taking on the challenge in memory of uni pal Alex Richardson who attended their uni- versity, St Andrews in Scotland, and who tragically died of a brain injury in 2009.
To break the current 125-day record for the 14,000 mile journey from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, the boys need to clock up 140 miles a day.
The trip will see the boys encounter many different climates across 14 countries including Canada, the USA, Mexico and Panama, from where they will take a boat to Cartagena in Colombia, as the land border is impassable between the two countries.
They will then face the Andes before descending into Argentina.
Chris, a physics graduate, said: “It’s about doing something a bit crazy and different. We thought instead of just getting 9-5 jobs straightaway we would do something spectacular.
“I love the feeling of not knowing what is going to happen.
“It would be amazing if we do it in 100 days but I’ll be pretty happy if we just finish to be honest.”
The determined pair are experienced cyclists and have cycled around Scotland, from John O’Groats to Land’s End and from Calais to Rome over the last three years.
But Chris admitted that the task was no mean feat and that mum Julie and dad John were ‘proud but worried’.
He also added that it would be ‘tricky’ to manage the gear they needed to take with them and that they would need to leave clothes behind along the way.
To prepare they trained for a week in Scotland and managed a massive 970 miles in seven days.
They are also cutting down on fatty foods and alcohol and increasing their carbohydrate intake ahead of their challenge, which begins on July 29.
Headway raises awareness of brain injuries and their prevention and offers physical and social support to those affected.
To donate go to justgiving.com/Danny-Beech1.
See cycletheamericas. co.uk for more information.