On your bike - from Dublin to Paris with love
Two men. Two bikes. Two countries. 500km. Five days. Kilkenny men Martin O'Neill and Sean Breathnach speak to Laura Keys about their ambitious plan ahead of their cycle 500km from Dublin to Paris to raise much-needed funds for the Irish Hospice Foundation.
WHEN Kilkenny man Martin O'Neill cycles into Paris under the Eiffel Tower tomorrow (Thursday), he will not just be celebrating a mission accomplished, but also fulfilling the lifelong dream of his late wife.
Martin's daughter Aideen will be there to watch her father finish a 500km cycle from Dublin to Paris - a city her mother Helen always wanted to visit.
Martin and his friend Sean Breathnach, also from Kilkenny city, are currently taking part in the mammoth cycle, along with 100 other people, to raise money for the Irish Hospice Foundation.
The pedallers are due to arrive in Paris tomorrow after travelling through the beautiful and historic Normandy countryside and visiting the towns of Bayeaux, Lisieux, Bernay and Evreux. They will also tour the Palace of Versaille before entering Paris.
Both keen cyclists, Sean signed up for the ride because it was a "huge challenge and a great cause" while Martin had a more personal reason altogether.
Martin's beloved wife Helen, mother to his two children, passed away in December 2006 after a battle with cancer. She had always dreamed of going to Paris and Martin had bought vouchers for the two of them to travel there for Helen's birthday, but unfortunately she passed away before this dream was realised.
"Sean asked me in January to go along on the cycle and I had to think about it for a while," Martin said. "I thought it would be a challenge, both in the cycling and the fundraising, but Helen had always talked about going to Paris so I thought she'd like the idea. She inspired me and it is for a great cause."
The South East, North East and Midlands are the only regions in Ireland without a hospice and while the Susie Long Hospice Fund, which is strongly supported by the IHF, is working on a local level, the cycle raised funds for the national cause.
Each cyclist had to raise a minimum of €3,500 to take part in the cycle, which raised more than €350,000 in total, after costs, for the IHF.
The 105 cyclists dep-arted Dublin at 7.30am on Sunday morning, fare-welled by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, Eamon Ryan TD, and cycled 103km to Gorey, Co. Wexford where they spent the night. Monday saw the group head 75km from Gorey to Rosslare where they travelled by ferry to Cherbourg.
Yesterday (Tuesday) the group cycled 108km from Cherbourg to Bayeux through winding country roads, coastal tracks and small villages. Today (Wednesday) is the longest leg and requires a 168km ride from Bayeux to Evreux.
Tomorrow, the peletonte will head for Paris, travelling 105km through Versaille and crossing the finishing line after 500km underneath the Eiffel Tower. They will then spend Friday sight-seeing in Paris before returning home to Ireland.
As he sent the cyclists on their way, Minister Ryan said: "The Irish Hospice Foundation is renowned for its excellent work and I'm delighted that Irish Cycle Safaris is assisting them in their fund-raising this year. The cyclists can embark on this trip, in the knowledge that their efforts will be of great help - it won't be an easy trip, but it will be extremely worthwhile. Well done to the organisers and participants and Bon Voyage."
Sean, who recently retired as the deputy principal at Kilkenny CBS, took up cycling about 10 years ago but before he took off on this latest challenge, the furthest he'd ridden was 100km.
"I saw the add for the ride and I liked the idea. I thought it was a good cause as well," Sean said.
"We'll be going through some lovely countryside, both in Ireland and France, and I'm just looking forward to the challenge because I've never done anything like this before."
For Martin, the most special part of the ride will be arriving at the Eiffel Tower and seeing with his daughter, who lives in the UK.
"I'm just looking forward to getting to Paris and meeting up with Aideen," he said.
The hospice movement is a cause Martin, a mental health nurse at St Canice's Hospital in Kilkenny, truly believes in. As Helen, also a nurse, battled with cancer, he took leave from his job and cared for his wife at home, but he feels strongly about the importance of hospices.
Martin and Sean, who met on a charity cycle for GROW last year, have been in training since the end of January. "It was a bit hard during the Winter, but since Summer came along we've had some good, long cycles," Sean said.
"After one winter cycle, I had pains in my feet from the hailstones," Martin laughed.
The men said cycling a minimum of 100km a day on several consecutive days would be the biggest challenge for them.
"It's all about endurance, about the time spent on the bike. Not how fast or how far you go," Martin said.
Despite their initial misgivings about raising enough funds, Martin and Sean said they had no trouble raising the funds they needed for the cycle. "I thought with the recession on and everything, it might be difficult," Martin said.
"We actually raised the money very quickly," Sean added. "Once people heard what we were doing they were very generous."
They wished to thank everyone, including friends family and colleagues, who helped them raise money along the way. Their fundraising events included a National Draw and a Flag Day, both held in April.
Martin, in particular, expressed his gratitude to his colleagues in the Mental Health Service, Warrington Equestrian Centre and the Moloney family.
IHF Chief Executive Eugene Murray said the cycle was "not for the faint heard" and the IHF were very grateful for their commitment shown by the participants.
"This is not a challenge for the faint hearted as the participants will be cycling an average of 100 kms per day. The cyclists will receive all the support they need to ensure they have a fulfilling and fun experience. The IHF is very grateful for their fundraising efforts which will be used to support our extensive development programme, which includes extending palliative care to people with illnesses other than cancer; developing a Children's Hospice Home Care Service and putting hospice principles into hospital practice," Mr Murray said.
The 105 cyclists, including another Kilkenny person - Mary Millea, daughter of Councillor Pat Millea - have been divided into group of 10, each named after an area, according to their fitness and ability and they are being accompanied by back-up vehicles and a full-time medic.
As part of the effort to prepare participants for the cycling challenge ahead, two training camps were organised in March and May and in order to meet the unprecedented public demand for the event, a second cycle is being organised by the IHF from September 13 to 18.
The IHF is a national charity that promotes the hospice philosophy and supports the development of hospice and palliative care in all settings including the home, hospitals and hospices.
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Weather for Kilkenny
Thursday 17 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 6 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
Tomorrow
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Temperature: 7 C to 11 C
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