FOURTEEN intrepid volunteers undertaking a 375-kilometre, one-day cycle for charity were met with rapturous acclaim when they stopped in Limerick city last week.
The cyclists took a pit stop at Claughaun GAA Club on Friday May 30 along their route from Greystones in Wicklow to Dingle in Kerry, all in aid of juvenile arthritis charity iCAN.
Roy Stapleton, a kinesiologist who took part in the cycle, said that it did not take too much persuasion to come on board, having worked with juvenile arthritis sufferers in his occupation.
“These kids look perfectly normal to everybody who would pass them on the street, but these poor kids suffer. It’s to get awareness and to get a unit set up for these kids to get treatment in Crumlin Hospital, and because it’s a family-run charity, everything goes to the cause.
“It’s something that’s close to my heart. I’ve worked with these kids and I’ve been able to help them, but there’s more and more kids who need help.”
Prior to stopping at Claughaun, the cyclists passed through six counties and had already been on the road for seven hours. Roy said that it was a huge ask to cycle the length of the country in one day, but it was a challenge worth accepting.
“It’s a lot to undertake in one day. Most people would turn around to us and say ‘how many days are you doing the 375km in?’ and the big challenge is to do it in one day.
“It’s a massive personal challenge but the whole idea was to do it as a team and to show everybody that when you work together, things become easier.”
Wendy Costello, chairperson of iCAN, commended the cyclists for doing their bit for the charity, saying: “Today we have 14 cyclists, none of whom have any connection with juvenile arthritis. They do a cycle ever two or three years for a particular charity and this year they picked us.
“They’ve never done this length of a cycle before. The furthest they’ve done is 200 to 250km, so to undertake this in one day is a huge achievement. We’re hugely proud to be associated with them.”
Munster Rugby player and iCAN ambassador Tommy O’Donnell added: “We did a charity cycle with Munster a couple of years ago. It was only from Thomond Park to Roscrea and I was wrecked for days after it, so what the lads are undertaking today is incredible, especially at the pace they’re going.”
