Two Singapore motorcyclists have managed to combine charity work and their love for cross-country riding in a 2,400km endurance event in Africa.

Mr Poh Yu Seung, 38, and wife Rosalind, 35, are believed to be the only South-east Asian participants in Enduro Africa (www.enduroaf rica.com).

The event is organised by Global Enduro, a Britain-based charity work and social enterprise that holds riding events the world over.

The Pohs joined some 90 other riders - including Britain's Princes William and Harry - on the gruelling offroad jaunt from the South African city of Durban to Port Elizabeth, also in South Africa.

They started their ride, on Honda CRF230 dirt bikes, yesterday and expect to finish next Saturday.

Both are not new to adventure. They have been riding to Malaysia and Thailand since 1997. Mr Poh is a freelance writer and "adventure learning facilitator" (teaching soft skills such as teamwork, leadership and self-reliance in outdoor settings) while Mrs Poh is "in between jobs".

"I believe that life should be an adventure. You need to constantly challenge yourself," he told Life! via e-mail.

He added that "we want to show there is life after cancer".

Mrs Poh has been a breast cancer survivor since she was 26. She is a member of the Breast Cancer Foundation's dragon boat team, Paddlers In The Pink.

"She is making the most of her life now. She wants to spread the word that cancer survivors can live full lives too," Mr Poh said.

The couple have raised $25,500, a combination of personal and corporate donations.

Beneficiaries of Enduro Africa are Unicef, Nelson Mandela Children's Fund, and Sentebale, a charity founded by Prince Harry and Prince Seeiso of the Lesotho royal family in 2006 in memory of the late Princess Diana.

"The ride also allows us to see first-hand the communities benefiting from the fund-raiser and interact with the locals," he said.

All in all, Enduro Africa is said to have raised more than £300,000 ($767,700) for the charities. To prepare for the adventure, the couple clocked several hours on their mountain bikes and went on long road trips "to build physical and mental endurance".

They are both thrilled to have the chance to meet and ride with the two princes. Princes William and Harry are both seasoned bikers. According to press reports, they are emulating actor Ewan McGregor and his friend Charley Boorman, who in their TV series Long Way Down travelled 24,000km from Scotland to South Africa.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Oct 18, 2008.

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