Yorkshire cyclists take on Arctic to Africa ride for dementia charity

A group of cyclists are set to ride 4,500 miles from the Arctic to Africa, in a bid to raise money for dementia research.

The Yorkshiremen have raised nearly £13,000 for Alzheimer’s Research UK and hope to raise more than £30,000 by the time they finish their three-year challenge in 2019.

Race organiser Sean McPartland chose to support the UK’s leading dementia research charity as his father-in-law died with Alzheimer’s disease.

He said: “It was very difficult to see the stress and pain that my wife went through with her father and how it affected the whole family. Alzheimer’s is such a cruel disease. I want to support research as what we ultimately need is to find a cure.”

The 47-year-old admitted the second phase of the challenge will be ‘very different’ to the first.

He said: “The main challenge with the first phase was the cold. There were times when we couldn’t feel our hands and feet. It was also such a barren landscape. You could ride 30 to 40 miles without seeing anything – not a house or a car. That made it very challenging mentally and we had to work together as a team and help pick each other up when we got down.

“With the second phase, the heat is going to be a big challenge,” he added. “Germany will be extremely hot, as will Italy.

There’s also a lot more climbing, particularly in the Alps. We’ll be climbing 55,000 feet, that’s about twice the height of Everest and is double what we climbed in the first stage.”

Mr McPartland, David Kent, Paul Warner and Lee Lund completed the first stage last year, riding 1,400 miles from Nordkapp in Norway, the most northern point in Europe, to Gothenburg in Sweden.

The team are set to head back to Gothenburg to begin the next leg on 7 August. They will attempt to ride 1,400 miles, with the route taking them through Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy and France before finishing with a lap of the Formula One Grand Prix road circuit in Monaco. They are expecting to take 15 days.

Claire Priestwood, Alzheimer’s Research UK regional fundraising officer for the North East, said: “We can’t thank Sean and his team enough for everything they are doing to raise vital funds for dementia research and support the work we are doing to bring about the first life-changing dementia treatment by 2025.

“We would like to wish them the best of luck in this latest stage of their epic challenge and we look forward to following their progress.

“The money they are raising will power world-class dementia research projects and help bring an end to the fear, harm and heartbreak of dementia.”

To sponsor the team go to www.justgiving.com/fundraising/arctic2africa