Cikgu Adnan's "Road To London"

Proving that age is just a number, Adnan Osman, 69, has flagged off on 25 Sep 2011, embarking on a 10-month cycling expedition from here to London to raise funds for the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF).

Dubbed the "Road to London" mission, the expedition will cover up to 20,000km and take Adnan across 13 countries, such as Thailand, Laos, China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Austria, Germany and France.

The retired teacher, known as "Cikgu Adnan", wishes to have his journey halfway across the world serve as a platform to raise funds for the Positive Audacious Living (PAL) scheme, a medicine assistance programme run by the MAF.

The PAL scheme has provided nearly 60 HIV-positive Malaysians with subsidised highly active anti-retroviral therapy. However, because of limited funds, the scheme has not been able to reach more people.

It is Adnan's hope that the hype and publicity surrounding his quest to London would spur corporate donors and the public to give people living with HIV a chance.

"This is more than just a quest for my own self-satisfaction. It is also a bid to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS issues and educate the public on the hardships of those living with the disease, many of whom come from underprivileged background and are marginalised because of the stigma associated with the disease" he said.

The mission will not be Adnan's first undertaking in support of the foundation's cause. In 2009, he raised funds by taking part in the seven-day Marathon des Sables, which took him across 243km of the Sahara desert's harsh terrain in what is known as the toughest foot race on earth.

Neither will this be his first attempt at cycling to an Olympic venue as three years ago, Adnan had set out on his two-wheeler to make his way to Beijing in time for the 2008 Olympics there. Unfortunately, his journey was cut short in Hanoi, Vietnam, when he was refused an visa entry into China.

Adnan, who is no stranger to arduous challenges, has so far completed 12 marathons, conquered 12 of the highest peaks in Malaysia and cycled through most Southeast Asian nations.

Through his achievements he would like to spread the message that health and physical fitness can be achieved by all, irrespective of age or gender.

"As long as you keep yourself healthy, there is no limit to what you can achieve."

If you’d like to keep track of Adnan's progress in his adventures, visit his blog at http://oadnanxtreme.blogspot.com.

For information on the Positive Audacious Living (PAL) scheme, visit www.saveyourpal.com.my

You can email Adnan at adnan0711@gmail.com or check out his fb page at

http://www.facebook.com/AdnanKL2London?sk=wall

Contributions in support of the "Road to London" mission will be channelled to the MAF and can be made directly to "Malaysian AIDS Foundation" via Maybank account number: 5141 0542 1257.

Donations of RM50 and above will be issued tax exemption receipts.

The Spanker has donated. Will you?