Free Community Newspaper serving Sandymount, Irishtown, Ringsend, Docklands, Ballsbridge and Donnybrook
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2011
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THREE MEN ON A BIKE RAISE €13,000
By Rupert Heather
T
hree triumphant but saddle sore cyclists have just completed a marathon trip around Ireland’s coast line to raise money for a cancer charity. Local lads and old school friends, Andrew Doyle, Declan Prior and Shane Healy cycled 1,700 kilometres through 20 counties to raise in excess of €13,000 for the Irish Cancer Society. They did so, for the first time in Ireland, on a trandem, a 10-foot long threeman bike. Prior says, “We aren’t super fit cyclists or anything like. Andy went to the Gaeltacht in Kerry with his teaching course and we talked about cycling there but never did. That
was last summer.” On a night out the three lads resurrected the plan, deciding that in order to raise as much money as possible they should cycle around the country. “We needed a gimmick and I suggested we do it on a trandem. Before long we had committed to it. My mother passed away 10 years ago because of cancer and both my father and sister survived the illness,” Doyle explains. The bike was sourced from a company in Blackpool. The longest continuous journey for which they had previously leased a tandem was for three days. “We went round a park in Blackpool for a trial run. It was a bit shaky to say the least,” says Prior. Setting off from Sandymount Green on June 24th, cheered
on by Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn and a crowd of well wishers, they began the first leg of the journey to Dundalk. “We took a wrong turn on the first day and that added 10 kilometres. It was the longest cycle any of us had been on.” Their route took them along the Antrim coast, to Donegal and Sligo, down the west coast to Westport, Clifden, Galway, then from Cork to Waterford and up the east coast to Dublin. Accommodation, provided free by generous hoteliers and B&B owners made the trip possible. “We got breakfast, some gave us dinner, some even had the local press waiting and had organised physios. ” Throughout the three weeks they had a support car driven by friends and family on a
rota. “Savlon and Sudocrem” were essential to deal with “constant” pain for the first five days. Despite not suffering any punctures in three weeks, they did experience some adversity. “Around the coast of Wexford we came over a hill and saw a cow running towards us in the middle of the road, Shane was in the driver’s seat and took evasive action,” Doyle adds. Singing helped to maintain their spirits on the road. “Andy used to subconsciously sing the first line to ‘Ordinary Man’ by Christy Moore over and over to himself. We tried ‘row your boat’ once or twice but it didn’t last too long!” “There was a bit of tension at times but no real fights, we were within eight inches of each other for three weeks, we
know how to wind each other up but there really was never an issue.” Returning to Dublin on July 19th after their extraordinary journey, they met about 20 cyclists who travelled the last few kilometres with them from Booterstown to Sandymount. This included a police escort. Doyle says, “I think next year I’ll probably run coast to coast, seven marathons in seven days. I just have to persuade the other two now. I’m not sure if Deco likes the idea!” If you want to donate visit http://www.3men1bike.com Above: The three lads get a rousing send off from Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn, centre, and local residents and friends.