I planned to cycle from Morocco to Ireland this year, via Spain and France. I decided that I had better check out Morocco before I cycled there, so I recently flew to Agadir and travelled up the Atlantic coast of Morocco by bus, over a five day period and stayed overnight in Agadir, Essaouira, El Jadida, Rabat and Tangier. I was really glad that I did the trip because I found that the planned route was totally unsuitable for cycling. I don’t want to die yet!!

However, I enjoyed the experience and by interacting with the people, I saw a side of Morocco that I could not have seen on a holiday in one of their holiday resorts. Below are a couple of photos taken in the capital, Rabat. Click on photos to enlarge. Then click again to view full-size version.

Entrance to the Medina in Rabat

Sitting in the shade in Rabat! Note the women's clothing. The temperature was 28C when this photo was taken!

Goats feeding in an Argan tree near Essaouira.

The starting point for my 2,000 mile cycle from Portugal to Ireland has finally been decided. I will start from Faro in the south of Portugal on 14th. April with Paul Rutledge from the U.S. and we will head up through Portugal and cross to the north-east of Spain via Salamanca and Pamplona and then up through France. We will then cross over to the U.K. at Dover and cycle across England and Wales to Fishguard, where we will cross by ferry to Rosslare, Co. Wexford. From there we will cycle to my birthplace in Whitegate, Co. Cork and from there to my home in Howth, Co. Dublin. I expect the journey to take approximately 35 days. For details, and a journal of my journey as it progresses, check http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Faro2Dublin

Please join me and many others from Ireland and around the world in making a repayable loan to local groups and individuals in the world’s poorest countries. Click on the Kiva banner below for details. See also http://www.kiva.org/team/ireland

All the best for 2010 to all my supporters. Thank you all for your fantastic support during 2009 for my fundraising efforts for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin: http://www.cmrf.org

For details on my next fundraising cycle, see http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/Lisbon2Dublin

Happy New Year to you all.

Eugene.

I broke my fundraising record for an 8 hour cycle at Northside S.C. yesterday (19^th. December) and raised €2,060 for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. On behalf of both the hospital and myself, I would like to thank Alan and his staff at the S.C. and Carol who manages the shopping centre Facebook page for their fantastic support. Very special thanks to all the shoppers at Northside who are always so generous. You can be assured that your donations are greatly appreciated. Keep shopping at Northside Shopping Centre which supports Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin.

I will be doing an 8 hour fundraising cycle on a training frame in Northside Shopping Centre on Saturday 19th. December 2009. The cycle is in aid of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin. The cycle will take place inside the shopping centre between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

A number of people have offered to join me on the trip and I feel that some may have jumped in feet first without realising what is really involved.  In case there are any misconceptions about what is involved, the following are some details.

I hope to use the trip to raise €20,000 for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Dublin, Ireland. I will be paying my own personal expenses i.e. plane fare, bike transport and hostel or hotel accommodation when needed during the 35 days. However, I will be carrying camping and cooking equipment and hope to camp out most nights (accommodation is cheap in Morocco so I may opt for hotel or hostel accommodation while on that leg of the trip).

Anybody wishing to come along on the trip (and who does not want to spend a small fortune on accommodation) would need a minimum of a one man tent, sleeping bag and liner and therma-rest or light inflatable mattress, together with toiletries, clothing etc. The most important point to emphasise is that they would need a means of carrying these items on the bike i.e. panniers. This would cause a problem for cyclists who own carbon frame bikes, as panniers cannot be attached to these. (Not that I am aware of anyway). A cheap steel frame touring bike with a decent set of tyres would be fine for the trip.

If you intend to join me on the trip, bear in mind that it is going to be a real challenge. Spain has got more hills than any other country in Europe. You may not be able to shower for days, so one man tents will be essential for each person

If you are prepared to rough it and still want to join me, welcome aboard on our cycle for a great cause.

From Sunday 14^th. March to Saturday 17th. April 2010 (35 days), I hope to cycle from Morocco, North Africa, to Ireland, (via Spain and France) and raise €20,000 in sponsorship for the Children’s Medical and Research Foundation of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin,Dublin, Ireland.

The cycle will be self supported and self-funded so all sponsorship raised, without any deductions, will go directly to Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital. However, I still need the following items and would very much appreciate if they could be supplied by a corporate donor in order to reduce my personal expenses for the trip:

• One man touring tent.
• Light sleeping bag and liner.
• Supply of powdered milk.
• Dried foods which can be re-hydrated.

Michael, like myself is retired. I have carried out my fundraising activities for the past few years using the alias “The Pedalling Pensioner”. The new partnership will be called; wait for it! ——- “The Pedalling Pensioners!!”

I arrived home on Saturday 12th. September from Athens, Georgia, USA, where I had taken part in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin, Annual Overseas Cycle Challenge.

To view my journal and photos from the trip please click here

The cycle mentioned below, eventually became the Howth Head to Malin Head to Mizen Head Cycle (1,146 km or 712 miles) done over 9 days and completed at Mizen Head at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday 19th. July 2009.

Some of the participants used the event to raise money for the very worthy charity, Goal. I used the event to raise funds for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Crumlin and the result of my efforts was €6,295. A big, big thank you on behalf of myself and Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin to all who supported me. Donations can still be made through the donation page that the hospital has set up for me at :  http://www.cmrf.org/sponsorshipManager/Usr_EventDonation.asp?EventId=223

My journal and photos from the cycle can be viewed at: Howth2Malin2Mizen Journal and Photos