'She was a beautiful person': Co. Derry cyclist to take on Tour de France mountains for Hospice in memory of sister

Kevin McDermott, will be facing ‘La Marmotte’, one of the hardest of any cyclosportive that includes some of the most challenging high mountain stages of the Tour de France.

It is a serious challenge, usually taking 10 hours to complete and covering a distance of 174.4 km (108.4 miles) along with 16,990 ft of climbing.

Overall, the route has four major climbs and typically entices one third of its 5,000 entrants to drop out.

However, determined Kevin is no stranger to this mammoth test of endurance as this will be his fourth time taking part!

He explained: “It’s a punishing event, never doing that again is the general consensus when completing it, however this year it will have a different perspective. I am doing it in memory of my sister Michelle who passed away at the end of last year.

“To show our appreciation for this amazing facility and team, we’d like to give something back by taking on this major challenge and raise as much money as we can.”According to Kevin, he will be undertaking 12 hours of training accumulating in over 200 miles each week, in order to prepare for the epic cycle.

He continued: “There will be a lot of sacrifice and a lot of suffering but with Michelle in mind, it brings out an extra amount of determination to keep going.”

Describing his sister, Kevin recalled: “She was a beautiful person and very well thought of by everyone she knew.

“She had become a grandmother around three months before she passed away which was amazing for her to see another part of her legacy.

“While she was in Foyle Hospice we talked about the good times growing up and about all of the great times we had through life. I told her about the cycling challenge so she was aware I was going to do this for her.

“I have also set up a JustGiving page which has been greatly supported through the generosity of friends and those in our community.”

Michelle died at Foyle Hospice on December 22, 2023 at the age of 52 and is survived by her husband, Michael, and three children, Aisling, Dearbhla and Darragh.

Looking ahead to the challenge, which Kevin will be completing in France on June 30 this year, he continued: “Michelle was very comfortable at Foyle Hospice and was well looked after, so I really want to give something back. I am very determined to do this for her. It’s a major challenge and will be extremely tough, but I am still looking forward to it, and it’s all for a very worthy cause.”

If you wish to donate to Kevin’s fundraiser, you can do so by visiting: www.justgiving.com/page/kevin-mcdermott-michelle-cartin-foyle-hospice-fkucancer

Foyle Hospice provides 9-bed spaces in its In-Patient Care Unit, as well as Day Therapy facilities, community nursing, 24/7 Advice Line and bereavement counselling services for both adults (Forget Me Not) and children (Healing Hearts).

The total annual cost of providing the services is approximately £3.7 million.

It costs approximately £5,000 for 24 hours of care for 9 beds in the Hospice In-Patient Care Unit.