"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream". --C.S. Lewis

My name is Eugene O'Leary. I am a 66 year old cyclist! ("The Pedaling Pensioner!") My daughter, Helen was a patient of Our Lady's Children's Hospital, Crumlin until she was eighteen years old. She died one year after leaving the care of the hospital (February 2002), and having her care transferred to an adult hospital.

In order to show some appreciation for the wonderful work done by the hospital in enabling my wife and I, together with her brothers and sisters to enjoy the gift of having an angel in our family for nineteen years, I started to do fundraising cycles for Our Lady's Children's Hospital, five years ago.

I have raised over €57,000 for the Children’s Medical & Research foundation which is the fundraising arm for both the Foundation and the hospital, over the last five summers, by doing a series of 8 hour static cycles (on a training frame) on Bank Holiday weekends, at the entrance to the East Pier, Howth, Co. Dublin, in recognition of the wonderful care that our daughter was given, while a patient of Our Lady's Children's Hospital.

My ten-year old grandson (Dylan) is also a patient of the hospital and has been receiving chemotherapy treatment for non-malignant but very aggressive bone tumours. He has received and is still receiving excellent care and was recently given the "all clear".

I have taken part in the hospitals overseas cycle challenges in Durban, South Africa; Lake Balaton, Hungary; Flagstaff, Arizona; Niagara, Ontario and last year in Monterey, California. Each of these challenges entailed cycling a distance of 100 kilometres (62 miles) a day for five days.

On August 4th 2008 (Bank Holiday Monday), I completed a 150 mile fundraising cycle from Galway Docks to Howth, Co. Dublin i.e. from the Atlantic Ocean to the Irish Sea in 12 hours..

From Sunday June 21st to Monday August 10th. 2010 (50 days), I hope to cycle across America and raise €250,000 in sponsorship for the Intensive Care Unit of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital. In doing so, I hope to be become the first Irish "Old Age Pensioner" to travel across America on a bicycle.