As the countdown to departure begins, His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum has backed the team behind Cycle Against Cancer – a 13-rider charity expedition crossing Spain and France for Al Jalila Foundation.
Dubai, UAE – July 2026: With less than a month to go before they set off, the riders taking part in Cycle Against Cancer have won the backing of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Civil Aviation Authority, Chairman of Dubai Airports, and Chairman and Chief Executive of Emirates Airline and Group. The endorsement comes as the team finalises preparations for a 3,333-kilometre charity ride from Barcelona to Paris, undertaken in aid of Al Jalila Foundation, the Dubai-based healthcare charity working to advance health for humanity through care, learning, discovery, and giving.
His Highness met the riders shortly before their departure to convey his encouragement, acknowledging both the human cause at the centre of the expedition and the determination it will demand of everyone taking part. His support arrives at a pivotal moment, giving the team a lift as the last weeks of training give way to the journey itself.
The clock is now ticking towards 1 July, when the 13-strong team rolls out of Barcelona to begin a route that climbs more than 54,000 metres over 25 days before reaching Paris. Few amateur challenges ask so much of their participants: the distance, the relentless elevation, and the pace of consecutive riding days are intended to push the team to its limits, a deliberate echo of the resilience that a cancer diagnosis demands, and of the hope the riders hope to carry to others facing it.
Behind the kilometres sits a group bound together by experience rather than athletics alone. The line-up brings together people who have come through cancer themselves, figures from the regional business community, and riders drawn from the UAE’s cycling scene, a number of them pedalling in memory or in honour of someone close to them. In the final stretch before departure, much of their focus has shifted from individual fitness to moving, and finishing, as one.
Driving the expedition is its founder, Guido De Wilde, a 68-year-old who came through stage 4 colon cancer and has championed Al Jalila Foundation for years. Having already raised substantial sums for patients in the past, he has returned to the saddle to show that a diagnosis need not be the end of an active, purposeful life, and to encourage others to believe the same.
“This ride was always meant to be a signal to anyone who has been told to give up hope, that there is still a road ahead,” said Guido De Wilde. “Knowing that His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum is behind us means a great deal as we line up at the start. Every one of us is carrying somebody’s story to Paris, and that recognition tells us those stories matter.”
Funds raised through the challenge will go towards Al Jalila Foundation’s cancer care work across the UAE. Dr Amer Al Zarooni, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “What makes an effort like this stand out is the way it turns personal conviction into something that reaches patients directly. The riders are showing how shared resolve can strengthen care, support research, and widen access to treatment, and we are grateful to everyone lending their backing to the cause.”
From here, the days narrow quickly. Whatever each rider carries with them to the start line in Barcelona, the route from there is one they intend to ride together, all the way to Paris.
To find out more or to support the team, visit Cycle Against Cancer’s official website.
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Notes to Editors:
Cycle Against Cancer is an independent, privately organised charitable cycling expedition. It has no affiliation with, and no endorsement from the Tour de France or the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO).
Media Contact:
Cycle Against Cancer PR
CycleAgainstPR@wearetheromans.com
About Cycle Against Cancer
Cycle Against Cancer is an independent fundraising expedition created to stand alongside people affected by cancer. Built on hope, courage, and persistence, it channels the demands of endurance sport into tangible support for patients and their families. Its 2026 challenge sees a team of 13 riders take on a 3,300-kilometre, 25-day route through Spain and France.
About Al Jalila Foundation
Al Jalila Foundation is a global healthcare charity that helps deliver Dubai Health’s mission to advance health for humanity across the pillars of Care, Learning, Discovery, and Giving. Founded in April 2013 under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, it works to keep Dubai and the wider UAE at the leading edge of medical progress.
Its work spans funding treatment for patients who cannot otherwise afford care, backing scholarships for healthcare professionals, and supporting research into some of the most pressing medical challenges.
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