A team of eight Galway cyclists will attempt to cycle from Mizen Head to Malin Head, Ireland end to end, in under 24 hours this weekend. The Ireland In A Day challenge is the brainchild of Fine Gael TD Ciaran Cannon, who is an avid cyclist and has completed several long distance cycling events in recent years.
He will be joined by Frank Burke, Gearoid Conerney, Ryan Connolly, Kevin Coughlan, Colin Duane, Dylan Farrell and Tom Tuohy, all of whom have trained hard over the winter months to prepare for the 600km challenge, requiring them to sustain a speed of 27 kilometres per hour over 24 hours.
“It’s something I’ve always wanted to attempt, and having done Mizen to Malin in three days back in 2017, the idea of doing it in a day has been with me ever since. We’ve assembled a great team who have been training hard in preparation for what is the great unknown for all of us, in terms of distance. We also wanted to raise funds for Hand In Hand, a fantastic Loughrea-based charity that does incredible work in supporting families across Ireland who suddenly find themselves experiencing the trauma of having a child diagnosed with cancer”, said Ciaran.
“While our great doctors and nurses focus on the child’s recovery, the superb people at Hand In Hand step in and look after all of the other things that matter.
“They arrange childcare for the other siblings, picking up from school, doing the shopping and laundry, and even having a nice meal prepared after trips to the hospital,” he said.
“In their own words, they look after the ordinary in extraordinary times. They also organise excellent play therapy for the sick child and siblings to talk through how they’re coping. Hand In Hand is now the chosen partner charity for our Seven Springs Cycling Club in Loughrea and it made sense to support their great work through this event.”
“We leave Mizen Head this Saturday at 3.00pm and hope to arrive in Malin Head before 3.00pm on Sunday. We will have six 15 minute food stops along the way, and we’re fortunate to have a great backup team to keep us properly fuelled, safe on the road, and all of our bikes in running order,” added Deputy Cannon.
“In addition we hope to be joined for various stages of the event by friends in cycling who will give us a great morale boost, which will be badly needed at times!””We would be very grateful if people would sponsor us and details can be found by doing a web search for “Ireland In A Day Hand In Hand” or by calling Hand in Hand on 091 880360,” he concluded.
