From Sunday 14th. 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.
I have all other equipment including Claude Butler touring bike, racks, panniers, GPS etc.
I will commence the cycle in Agadir, Morocco and proceed along the Atlantic coast to Tangier (503 miles) via Tamanar, Ounara, Safi, Sidi-Rabal, Casablanca, Rabat, Kenitra and Larache. I plan to complete this leg of the journey in 7 days.
After a rest day in Tangier I will cross the Straits of Gibraltar to Algeciras, Spain, by ferry and then cycle north-eastward through Spain, via Porquerizas, Utera, Cordoba, Fuencaliente, Pozuelo de Calatrava, Villanueva de Alcardete, Sacedon, Baraona, Agreda and Pamplona. The total distance covered on this leg of the journey will be 759 miles, which I hope to cover in 11 days.
After a well deserved rest day in Pamplona, I will cross the Pyrenees ( in the low part, at the northern extremity!) to Urrugne, France and then proceed northwards to Roscoff, via Lac de Bicarosse, Hourtin Plage, La Rochelle, Nantes, Rennes and Saint-Brieuc. I plan to cover this leg of the journey in 7 days (527 miles).
After an overnight stay in Roscoff, I will be crossing to Cork, Ireland by ferry, and then cycling the remaining 20+ miles to my destination in Aghada, County Cork and then onward for another 1.5 miles to Whitegate; the village where I was born and raised.
After a couple of rest days in Whitegate, I will cycle the final 200 miles to my home in Howth, County Dublin, which I hope to reach in 2 days.
P.S. A friend of mine, Michael Flynn is to join me on this cycle. Michael has been taking part in Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital Overseas 500k Cycle Challenges for the past number of years and cycled with me this year (2009) in Athens, Georgia, USA.
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!!”
