This is one of the hardest amateur cycling challenges in the world and covers some of the most scenically beautiful yet demanding climbs from Geneva to Venice.

Robert and his team of friends have recently suffered personal tragedies so they have aptly called their group #IAmHavingABadWeek. You can read their full story on https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Iamhavingabadweek.

The group set out to raise £100,000 for Ronald McDonald House Charities to help families with children in hospital stay close by. Before the first rider has even crossed the start line, they have already smashed their target and are well on the way to helping this great charity.  

Climate change advocate takes on
‘hardest cyclist event in world’ for charity

Dolomites Swiss Alps 2016. Haute Route.  Monday 5- Sunday 11 September 2016

The Chief Executive of renewable energy company, Olleco, is taking on the highest and toughest event of its kind in the world with a group of seven cycling friends. The fundraising target set is £100,000.

In September, Robert Behan and his team will be taking on the Haute Route Dolomites Swiss Alps from Geneva to Venice, covering 900 kilometres and heights of 21,000 meters over seven days.

The funds will be shared between Ronald McDonald House Charities UK and Ronald McDonald House Charities Ireland – the independent charities which provide free ‘home away from home’ accommodation to families with children in hospital.

This endurance challenge has been borne out of personal tragedy after Robert lost his dearly beloved wife earlier this year. Already a seasoned competitive cyclist over the past four years, he has found solace through the encouragement and support of his team mates as together they have taken on one-day endurance events averaging 175km and 4,500 of climbing.

Now, he is ready to raise the bar but with a different focus – giving something back for a worthwhile cause.

Robert’s company – the renewable division of the ABP Food Group – has committed to match the first £50,000 raised on a pound-for-pound basis. Olleco has had a long partnership with McDonald’s - of which Ronald McDonald’s House Charities has been its ‘charity of choice’ for many years - through providing 100 per cent resource recovery for the restaurant business,

Says Robert; “The two charities I have chosen help give families hope and respite during some of the hardest moments of their lives. By giving them a place to stay, where they can maintain a degree of normal life while their child is undergoing medical treatment in hospital nearby, is a life-line, particularly for those who live a distance away.” Donations to Robert can be made at https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/Iamhavingabadweek;

Jon Haward, Executive Director, Ronald McDonald House Charities, says; ”We are privileged to have in our wider family such wonderful partners who go that extra mile to help us. We know that every penny will be well spent, as the need for accommodation so that families can stay close to their children in hospital far outstrips supply, and we are having to expand to keep pace. We wish Robert and his team every success and thank him most sincerely for putting this extreme challenge above his own personal loss to help others in difficult times.”

More about the challenge can be found on their website: www.hauteroute.org/events/stageds/dolomites-swiss-alps-2016;

To find out more about Ronald McDonald House Charities and how to support the Charity directly, visit: www.rmhc.org.uk

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