Cycling duo to cycle Mizen Head to Malin Head in just 24 hours for iCARE

While many people who take on the endeavour do so over a few days, with long breaks in between, Cathal Porter from Carndonagh and Micheal Devlin, from Buncrana, are doing things somewhat differently.

The duo will start their endurance cycle at around 5pm from Mizen Head from June 19 to June 20 and aim to have just ten breaks of ten minutes duration on the whole route.

They will not relay or tag team - both men will cycle the entire route together.

They are doing so to raise funds for iCARE in Inishowen, which support people with autism and their families across the peninsula.

Both men have been cycling for around 10 to 15 years and progressed on to completing endurance races of hundreds of miles. They also took part in ultra races as a team and coming out of lockdown, decided to undertake a race for charity.

Michael had already done part of Mizen Head to Malin Head over a number of days, but they came up with the idea to try and complete it in just one day.

Both men have been deep in training over the last while and will complete the route on endurance bikes. They are hoping that the weather will be good to them, particularly the wind direction and speed, as this will make a huge difference to their time.

They will be accompanied on the route by their good friend Phelim McCallion, who owns Bikes and Toys.

They have earmarked 5pm as their start time, as getting through traffic in Limerick has been identified as a key issue that could delay them. It will also mean they’ll be cycling a lot during the night, when roads are a lot quieter.

The pair decided upon iCARE as Cathal works with children with special needs and autism and with Michael being from Buncrana, he recognises the fantastic work and support provided by the charity.

iCARE has, like many charities, suffered during the pandemic due to a lack of fundraising events and opportunities and Michael and Cathal hope to be able to help with that.

They have been greatly supported by their families and friends through their hours of training and fundraising.

If you’d like to donate to the fundraiser, both men have sponsor cards available or you can also do so online at Go Fund Me on https://www.gofundme.com/f/7fr3e-mizen-to-malin-cycle.

You can find out more about iCARE on their Facebook page or at www.icare.ie