International adventure cyclist Krista Bernard will lead ‘Ride for the Rainforest’, a cycling challenge, in Sri Lanka in February 2011. Working with Rainforest Rescue, a not-for-profit organization that has been protecting rainforests in Australia and internationally since 1998, Krista hopes the cycle challenge will raise urgently needed funds to protect the endangered Sri Lankan environment.
‘Ride for the Rainforest’, is a fundraising twelve day trip which includes five days of cycling at a moderate grade, accommodation at hotels and comfortable camping grounds. Riders will visit the Pinnewala Elephant Orphanage, see Buddhist Temples and the Royal Botanical Gardens in Kandy, visit the UNESCO World Heritage listed Sinharaja rainforest, which the project is helping to protect, and relax at the beaches of Galle. During the trip, participants will also spend an afternoon planting trees and finding out about the environmental work being done in Sri Lanka.
To get your peddle pumping and your wheels turning, Krista will be holding a FREE information evening about her previous cycle adventure from London to the Himalayas, where she travelled 8,811 kilometres to raise much needed funds for Rainforest Rescue. The photographs and stories are sure to inspire you to take up the challenge of ‘Ride for the Rainforest’ in Sri Lanka next year.
Sydney: Tuesday 20th July
Parliament House Theatrette, Macquarie St, Sydney – 6.30pm
Melbourne: Thursday 22nd July
Arts House, North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensbury St, North Melbourne – 6.30pm
Brisbane: Tuesday 27th July
Jagera Arts Centre, 121 Cordelia St, South Brisbane – 6.30pm
For more details and to book go to www.rainforestrescue.org.au.
Krista Bernard has an indomitable cycling history. In Australia, she traversed the Nullarbor and Central Deserts on dirt tracks, has ridden down the east coast, and cycled around Tasmania. Pedaling 15,000km solo across 19 countries – from Indonesia to Egypt – won her the prestigious ‘Young Adventurer of the Year Award’ in 2000 by the Australian Geographic Society.
