ITS rowers will, hopefully, make their mark at the upcoming Olympics, but it’s Skibbereen Rowing Club’s adventurous band of 20 cyclists that will be in action first at the Games in Paris.
On Sunday, 20 cyclists will leave Skibbereen with the target of cycling all the way from Ireland’s greatest and most successful rowing club to Paris, as they raise funds for the club.
‘This club has a great history of rowing, but in a departure we’re going to take up cycling and cycle all the way to Paris to celebrate our four rowers who are taking part in the Olympics,’ explained club chairman Sean Murran, who is swapping a boat for a bike for this novel fundraising event.
To raise fund for Ireland's No. 1 rowing club, @skibbrowing - the home of Olympic gold, silver & bronze medallists - 20 cyclists will leave Skibbereen on Sunday to cycle to Paris for the Olympics!
TO DONATE ➡️ https://t.co/cbdgQ19jOC
📽️ Dominic Casey Marsh Media pic.twitter.com/hizJEhCxwj— Kieran McCarthy (@KieranMcC_SS) July 16, 2024
Club PRO Niamh Casey, who is also on the cycling squad, explained: ‘The aim is to fundraise to buy new boats for the up-and-coming athletes in the club and hopefully future Olympians.’
Four Skibbereen rowers will be in action at these Games, including Niamh’s younger sister Aoife, as well as Olympic champions Paul O’Donovan and Fintan McCarthy and Olympic bronze medallist Emily Hegarty – these are the trailblazers putting Skibbereen Rowing Club on the world map and this fundraiser will ensure the next generation has every chance to follow in their footsteps.
‘The rowing club is a huge asset to our community,’ Kate O’Brien explained.
‘Despite the successes at the Rio Olympics and the Tokyo Olympics, rowing continues to be a minority sport. The club relies heavily on donations and fundraising along with the time dedicated by our volunteers.
‘Given the success of our athletes here in Skibbereen, membership has grown significantly over the last number of years so it’s more important than ever that we get behind our cyclists on the road to Paris so that we can purchase new equipment for the club to ensure that they have a long and successful career, like the athletes who have gone before them.’
Over five days, the Skibb cyclists will make their way from the West Cork town all the way to Paris, covering almost 650km and arrive just in time for the opening ceremony on Friday week, July 26th.
Breaking up the journey, day one will see the group cycling from Skibbereen Rowing Club to Dungarvan (160km). Day two will see them continue to Rosslare, followed by a ferry to Cherbourg (111km). Next up on day three is the spin from Cherbourg to Bayeux (100km), and the following day they’ll move from Bayeux to Evreux (165km), before the final leg of their cycling journey on day five, from Evreux to Paris, culminating at the Arc de Triomphe and Eiffel Tower (100km) next Thursday.
One hundred percent of the funds raised go towards the purchase of equipment for the club, and to donate to this worthy fundraiser, click here
