Riding North for Frederik: A Journey for POLG Research

On June 29, I will leave from the Eiffel Tower in Paris and ride more than 6,000 kilometers across 10 countries to the North Cape of Norway, crossing roads, dirt tracks, changing weather, and long stretches of solitude in one of the world’s most demanding motorcycle adventures. I am taking on this challenge as a proud PolG Adventurer and, more importantly, in honor of my cousin, Frederik.

Frederik lived with POLG mitochondrial disease — a devastating genetic disorder that robs the body’s cells of energy, causing progressive multi-organ dysfunction and failure. One of the simplest ways to understand POLG is this: imagine living with a battery that never fully recharges. Energy — something most of us take for granted — becomes one of life’s greatest challenges. There are currently no effective treatments and no cure.

This journey is built around endurance, resilience, and energy. Every day on this ride, I will depend on physical and mental energy to keep moving north. Throughout the journey, I will be thinking about the children, adults, and families living with POLG who fight every day with far less energy than they deserve.

I am riding in memory of Frederik, whose courage, humor, creativity, and determination inspired everyone around him. Frederik helped create and shape The POLG Foundation with one goal: to help other children facing mitochondrial disease. Today, that mission continues.

The POLG Foundation is working to accelerate research toward effective treatments and ultimately a cure by bringing together scientists, clinicians, biotech companies, and families around the world. Their work is helping drive research not only for POLG patients, but for broader understanding of mitochondrial disease and other conditions linked to mitochondrial dysfunction.

From Paris to the northernmost point of Europe, every kilometer I ride is dedicated to Frederik’s memory and to the global POLG community.

If you are able, please support this journey by donating, sharing, and helping us fuel the fight for better treatments — and ultimately, a cure.

Thank you for riding along.

Guillaume de Dampierre

PolG Adventurer

https://polgfoundation.org/