Last Friday a 60-strong international bike ride arrived in Erris to a warm welcome from local campaigners at the Bellanaboy Shell refinery site. The cyclists have ridden 500 miles from Merthyr Tydfil, Wales to Erris. The cyclists joined with local campaigners at the refinery gate and then travelled en masse to the Rossport Solidarity Camp where some 200 people are meeting for the 2010 summer gathering.
Some 30 cyclists from the UK joined the “Madrid to Mayo’ cycle ride in Cork, and many others from Ireland joined on route. The riders have spent 10 days travelling up the west coast of Ireland, distributing a specially produced newspaper, Changing Times. Events were held along the way, and each night the cyclists were hosted by different community organisations. The ride aims to offer direct support to these two local campaigns resisting the fossil fuel industry.
