🚴‍♂️ Eight Riders, One Mission: 500km for Healthcare in Jaffna

In February 2026, our team of Eight friends will cycle 500km across Sri Lanka in just 5 days as part of the Trek4Ceylon Charity Ride. We’re not just riding for the challenge – we’re riding to help rebuild St Luke’s Methodist Hospital, a lifeline for communities that have endured years of war and hardship.

I am not a cyclist and my first time on a road bike was in November 2025 🤦🏽so this event will put me and especially my rear end to the test. I finally understand the feeling of squeezing into lycra, why applying a liberal amount of chamois cream is an essential, what it means to run out of gears, the location of my sit bones, what is means to be a Zwifter, that you can't be a real cyclist if you are not on Strava, and what it means to bonk. It certainly has been a steep learning curve. I feel incredibly fortunate to be support a worthy Charity that is doing incredible work in my motherland.

Our team: Shayan Ratnasingam, Janaken Thavanessan, Kaylesh Sivaguru, Alexandra Pearce, Arbey-Felipe Erazo Trujilo, Hurshil Doshi, Kalhan Jogireddy, and Bilge

T4C2026 - Why We Ride?

● St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital Puttur was identified by Trek4Ceylon in 2025 as a hospital to renovate and offer medical services.

● From 2025, Trek4Ceylon made an initial commitment to support St Luke's for five years.

● Each year Trek4Ceylon will set-out the project to be implemented using the rider funds / donations

● Trek4Ceylon 2026 funds will be used for the renovation of the main building to offer daily Out Patient Department (OPD) and Emergency Treatment Unit (ETU) services to adults and children

St. Luke’s Methodist Hospital, Puttur

St. Luks’s Methodist Hospital was established in 1901 by the Methodist Mission in the Jaffna Peninsula, Sri Lanka. Today it is a barely functioning hospital. The hospital was known for the care it used to provide the community through in-patient care, outpatient care, maternity services and dental services.

Due to the protracted civil war and lack of facilities and personnel, the hospital ceased to be functional. Once the war ceased, the Puttur Methodist Mission was determined to keep this hospital open to serve the public. However, due to lack of funding they have been unable to renovate, equip and bring in the needed medical professionals to provide services. Today the hospital provides just 2 hours of consultation services provided by a retired medical officer on weekdays.

The Methodist Mission is determined to restore this hospital to its full potential, but they need help. Funds raised through Trek4Ceylon will go directly towards:

Renovating Outpatient Dacilities

- Equipping consultancy rooms

- Expanding services for maternity care, paediatrics, dental care, and rehabilitation

- This project isn’t just about rebuilding a hospital – it’s about rebuilding lives. Hope Builds Lives, and together, we can bring hope to a community that needs it most.

The Challenge: 500km in 5 Days

We’ll cycle through Sri Lanka’s most stunning landscapes and historic landmarks:

- Day 1: Colombo to Galle – a city rich in history and home to a World Heritage Site

- Day 2: Galle to Hambantota – riding along the beautiful southern coastline

- Day 3: Hambantota to Dambulla

- Day 4: Dambulla to Elephant Pass – the Gateway to Jaffna

- Day 5: Elephant Pass to St Luke’s Methodist Hospital, Puttur – the heart of the mission

How You Can Help

💬 Donate: Every contribution makes a difference. Your contribution will help rebuild St Luke’s Hospital and bring life-saving healthcare to the people of Jaffna.

🗣 Spread the Word: Share the mission with your network. The more people who know, the greater the impact we can make.

Your support and encouragement as we undergo this physically and mentally challenging ride.