Fly540 Kenya to be lead sponsor of 10to4 Mountain Bike Challenge

Fly540 Kenya has announced that it will be the lead sponsor of the 2014 10to4 Mountain Bike Challenge, organised by the Mount Kenya Trust, to be held over a two day period in February 2014.

“After taking part with my two children in last year’s 10to4 challenge and witnessing first-hand what a worthwhile cause this is, we wanted to make an even greater contribution to the 2014 event,” said Don Smith, CEO of Fly540 Kenya.

“It is important that we teach the next generation about the value of preserving our heritage and ensuring the safety of our wildlife, and about the vital work undertaken by organisations like the Mount Kenya Trust. The Trust does a fantastic job of protecting the elephants and ecosystem of Mount Kenya, and so it was a very easy decision for us to become lead sponsors of this event.”

On 14th and 15th of February, Mount Kenya will see scores of cyclists speeding down its slopes, from 10,000 feet to 5,000 feet, in a bid to see who is the fastest to navigate its rough terrain. The event includes races for all abilities, from the family-friendly ‘Slide’ covering 29km, to the gruelling ‘Extreme’, challenging seasoned professionals with a two-day race distance of 160km including 3000m of climbs. The race is a key fixture in the Kenyan Mountain Bike calendar, with the result contributing towards riders’ national rankings. Last year the primary race was won by Kenya’s prolific cyclist, David Kinjah, former coach and mentor to Tour de France 2013 winner Chris Froome.

The event has been held annually for the past 11 years to raise funds for local communities and conservation efforts on Mount Kenya. Fly540 has supported the Mount Kenya Trust since 2008 as part of its long standing commitment to protect the social and environmental health of the communities, and wider regions, in which it operates. The airline does this through both financial and physical support for a number of local charities and projects.

The fundraising focus for the 2014 event is the rehabilitation of part of the Mount Kenya National Reserve, with the specific objective of planting 8 million trees over a period of eight to ten years on more than 2000 hectares reclaimed from informal settlement on the mountain.

“The 10to4 has become a key annual event in Africa’s cycling calendar and we would like to thank Fly540 for their support of this year’s race,” said Susie Weeks, executive officer of Mount Kenya Trust. “We have routes suitable for all skill levels so we encourage everyone to start training and to take part in what promises to be another great event!”