Home sweet home!!!

We awoke on Thursday to find strong gusty winds and heavy rain awaiting us outside the comfort of the King household in Ashbourne. Whilst the weather made it extra difficult to get up on our bikes, the thoughts of seeing all our family and friends in Dublin later that day was enough to keep us going.
Glad to see a friendly and familiar face, we were joined by our good friend and fellow cyclist Jimmy Murphy. Jimmy joined us on the first day and cycled from Dublin to Arklow and back (in one day!!!), so it was fitting that he should join us on the final few kilometres of our trip. A massive thank you to Jimmy's colleagues in the Dublin City Council who sponsored Jimmy to join us for the first day, raising €400.
We spun along the N2 towards Dublin chatting away, boring the ears off poor Jimmy with tales of our trip. Despite the short distance between Ashbourne and Dublin, it was still tough going as there was a strong gusty wind, which at times was even dangerous, causing Conor to take a trip deep into the grass verge which was annoying, but better than the alternative of taking a trip into the oncoming traffic!!! Special thanks to Eamon Martin from Wheels and Heels in Ardee for kindly servicing our bikes to ensure that we made it over the finish line!!
Outside Glasnevin cemetery we were joined by some more friendly faces. Phillip Watt, Martin Cahill, Sandra Doyle and Niall Phelan joined us for the last few kilometres of our journey. It was very fitting and indeed made it extra special that for the final kilometres of our journey we were joined by some of the people who have helped and supported us the most over the past few weeks. Many thanks to all those who joined us on the final day.
We arrived at the headquarters for the CFAI in Rathmines, where we received a warm welcome (including tea and sandwiches!!) from the lovely staff! It was important for us to call into the charity's office so we could thank in person the lovely staff of the CFAI who have been so supportive and helpful over the past few weeks.
After a quick interview with TV3 news we headed for the Herbert Park hotel (our starting point) where we would bring our journey to a close. Once again we received a warm welcome from our family, friends, loved ones and Fearghal. Many thanks to the Herbert Park hotel for providing us with a great venue for our leaving and homecoming events!! Also a massive thanks to everybody that showed up on the night, it truly meant the world to the Cycling For CF team to be surrounded by our loved ones (who have been so supportive of us) as we crossed the finish line.
And so, as we celebrated crossing the finish line, it began to dawn on us that our journey had come to an end. Whilst we were both delighted to have completed the 2500km (the equivalent of Dublin to Moscow!!), we were also quite sad that our adventure was over! Over the past 5weeks we have had a huge amount of fun and we wish to thank every person we met along the route who made our journey so extra special. To all the people who waved or beeped at us, the representatives from the various branches of the charity, members of the CF community or the many cyclists who joined us for a spin, we say a massive heartfelt thanks! All of you made our journey so extra special and fun. When we're grey (or in Conor's case greyer!) and old we will look back fondly over the past few weeks and think of each and every one of you!
We also owe a huge debt of gratitude to all our sponsors (including our equipment, financial and accommodation sponsors) without whom this trip would not have been possible, on behalf of the Cycling For CF team thank you!!!!
A massive thank you to the CF community and the staff of the CFAI. You were a constant source of support and inspiration to us on the road. Whilst the motivation for our trip was the love we have for our friend Avril, the reason for the trip was to create awareness and fundraising for each and every person living with CF in Ireland. It was with great pride that we wore the logo of the CFAI on our jerseys, as this logo was a constant reminder of all the wonderful, strong and inspirational members of the CF community we met throughout our trip. Whilst there are too many of you to name individually, you know who you are, and from the bottom of our hearts we thank you!

To all our sponsors, people who have donated, families, friends and supporters we say a massive thank you for all your love and support over the past 5weeks! Without you this trip would not have been possible and together we have managed to raise a staggering amount of money (which is still growing) for the CFAI so thank you for your generosity and support!!

Finally on Thursday Nov 18th we will be holding a concert in the Sugar Club on Leeson St. in Dublin. We would love you to join us in bringing this project to a close. There will be great music, a raffle and plenty of dancing, so spread the word. Doors will open at 8pm and admission will be €5 on the door with all proceeds going to the CFAI. Check back here for the full line up and finer details of the night.

See you there,
Love,
The Cycling for CF team!!

Meath.....the home stretch!

After filling our bellies with a delicious fry courtesy of Mrs. Townley, we hit the road and headed for Meath!
Once again we were lucky to have the sun shining down on us as we headed along the hilly road towards Ashbourne.
We stopped in Slane for a quick bite to eat where we were joined by Mags Phelan who followed us (in the car!) as far as Ashbourne where we parted company.
Before hitting the road we had a quick chat with our pal Joe Duffy on RTE radio's Liveline which helped to spur us on out of Slane across the bridge and up the hill!!! Many's a time both of us have walked up the hill after a concert in Slane castle but never did either of us think we would be cycling down it with so many miles under our wheels!!
We arrived in Ashbourne in the early evening where we were warmly greeted by Mrs King (mother to the infamous Feargal 'Karaoke'King). We enjoyed a delicious home cooked meal and relaxed in front of the fire in the King household.
As tomorrow will be our final day in the saddle we have been looking back over the past few weeks and we both agree that although we are looking forward to seeing our friends and family tomorrow we will also be sad to finish our journey and will always look back with find memories of our trip.

Tomorrow we will spin the short journey towards Dublin with the great excitement of seeing all our friends and family in the Herbert Park Hotel at half 5 spurring us on towards the finish line!

Warrenpoint!!!

What a night!!!! The wind and rain was gusting up to 70+ km/h outside our bedroom window. We were curled up in bed (separate beds!!) wondering what kind of weather we were going to have to face in the morning. As it turned out we awoke to find the sun beaming down on Strangford lough with the only evidence of the previous nights storm being the odd bit of seaweed and fallen branches strewn on the roads.

After a short trip across the flat calm lough we headed towards Newry.

Despite the beautiful weather the going wasn't entirely easy as the wind was blowing in our faces however we didn't mind too much after witnessing the previous nights weather!!!

We spun along the road through Downpatrick finishing up in Warrenpoint for the day. We checked into the snazzy and luxurious Whistledown hotel in Warrenpoint where we received a warm welcome. We tucked into a delicious meal in the hotel's restaurant before heading for an early night.

We awoke the next morning and filled our bellies full of porridge and fruit to set us up for the day. During breakfast we met the delightful Mrs. McAnulty from Warrenpoint who we really were honoured to meet. After breakfast we hit the road and headed out towards Newry stopping briefly to repair a puncture on Cathal's bike! After passing through Newry we began heading South again towards Ardee. We stopped for a delicious Carvery Lunch in the Dundalk Superbowl where we were welcomed by the proprietor James Walsh and Graham Russell the local sports development officer. After a quick bite we enjoyed a few games of bowling before hitting the road again.

En route to Ardee we were joined by Nigel and Cathal from the Ardee Cycling Club who chatted away to us helping to distract us as we climbed the final few hills into Ardee! Upon arriving in Ardee, Eamon Martin very kindly, and very immediately, took our bikes away to his shop, Wheels and Heels, for a well needed service. Our gears have never felt so good. While Eamon slaved away on our bikes, we were greated with drinks and sandwiches in the Ferdia Arms. Many thanks to them for putting on a delcious spread for us hungry cyclists.

Many thanks to Leonard and Fidelma Townley for giving us a bed for the night and even washing our smelly clothes!!! Also many thanks to Emma Townley for cooking us a delicious meal and tasty cups of tea to fill our bellies after a long day!! It also worth noting that not only did the Townley family put us up (or put up with us) for the night but they also arranged a Coffee morning in Ardee to raise finds for the CFAI. Well done to all involved!

Strangford Lough!

We left Belfast with warnings of hurricanes fresh in our ears. It was very much a case of calm before the storm as the sun shone from a clear sky during breakfast. Further evidence of the unexpected brightness during the morning was that we had to change the lenses in our glasses from bright yellow to dark purple. However, while we enjoyed the pleasant conditions, we knew the sooner we got to Portaferry the better.

Heading East from Belfast, we had only a gentle breeze to contend with, which was absolutely tolerable and quite enjoyable as long as it remained dry and bright. After passing Stormont, we turned right at Newtownards and were soon flanked by the beautiful Strangford Lough. Stopping in Greyabbey for lunch, we were joined by the Doyle family. Getting back onto our bikes, the sky was noticeably different, as dark tones moved purposefully in our direction. We said goodbye to the Doyles, who I hope had a comfortable trip back to Dublin in their nice cosy car! We upped the pace for the remaining miles to Portaferry in order to keep warm.

By the time we arrived in Portaferry the evening had quickly become a cold one. We quickly checked into the Portaferry Hotel before going to the Aquarium for a few hours!

The storm has now hit the town with full force, with power cuts making this blog post slow progress! We managed to avoid any rain on the bikes today, but Mother Nature is more than making up for that now.

Tomorrow's destination is Newry. Hopefully the wind will relax a bit before then. Although if it decides to change direction and blow at our backs, I'd be more than happy for it to remain good and strong!

Dates for diaries

We have two events coming up that we would like to tell people about.

We will be returning to Dublin on Thursday November 11th. On day one of the trip, the Herbert Park Hotel very kindly hosted our sending off from Dublin. They have agreed to do us a similar favour as we return. We plan to arrive at around half 5, so if you would like to come down to say hi we would love to see you there.

The second event will take place a week later. On Thursday November 18th, we are running a night in the Sugar Club. Admission is €5 and will, of course, go towards the CFAI. We are really excited to announce that we have got some really great musicians to play on the night, including Nicko Fitzgerald, Battered Soul and Jim Corr (not THAT Jim Corr!).


Homecoming
November 11th
Herbert Park Hotel
5:30pm

Homecoming Gig
November 18th
The Sugar Club
8pm
Admission: €5


We are looking forward to seeing you all when we return.

Cathal and Conor

Rounding the last corner!!!

We awoke early and hit the road for Cushendall. Whilst the journey between Bushmills and Cushendall was a relatively short day, the wind was unfortunately no longer at our backs, which meant at times it was tough going. That said it was easy to remain positive as before we reached Cushendall, we rounded the north eastern (and final) corner. Rounding the fourth and final corner near Fair Head meant that not only were we heading south again, but we're on the home stretch!!!

We spent the night in the delightful B+B, where we had a delicious home cooked meal and comfy beds to set us up for a long journey to Belfast the following day.

After a hearty breakfast we jumped on the bikes and headed for Belfast, with the prospect of our final day off spurring us on! Once again, although the weather was dry, the going was made quite tough due to the Southerly direction of the wind meaning that it was blowing directly on the nose!!! Despite the going being quite tough, the day was extremely enjoyable as we were travelling along the A2, which literally hugs the coast all the way to Belfast city. We passed through many beautiful and picturesque towns along the way, stopping in Larne to fill our bellies and refuel.

We arrived in Belfast just before dark feeling shattered after what can only be described as a tough 80km slog into a strong headwind.

We've rested up well in the comfort of the Belfast Radisson (literally doing nothing!!) which is important, as word has it the weather is to turn quite nasty. However nasty it gets, we will be spurred on by the thought of returning home to Dublin on thursday to see all our families and friends!!!

Landmarks galore!!!

After leaving the comfort of the Radisson in Letterkenny we got back in the saddle and headed for Malin. Once again sun cream was not required as the weather was quite miserable, however we had a decent tailwind so the going wasn't too tough.

We stopped for a spot of lunch in Muff before ploughing on towards the northern most tip of the island of Ireland. Once again we were in awe of the beautiful scenery which surrounded us the whole way to Malin.

We arrived in the picturesque village of Malin in the late afternoon where we we received a warm welcome (as well as tea and cakes!!) from Mary and Dermot. After warming up (and drying out) we headed towards Ballyliffin, where we were to spend the night in the warm and cosy 'Bernie's B+B'.

The following morning we hit the road and headed towards Bushmills. We reached Moville in good time from where we caught the ferry across Lough Foyle into Northern Ireland, landing at Magilligan Point. From here we ploughed on towards Coleraine. Sadly our route to Coleraine was blocked as there had been a rock fall the previous night resulting in the road being closed. We turned off the main road and headed for the coast...........literally....... we cycled along a beach for about 3km which took us past the rock fall where we were able to rejoin the main road. In the early evening we reached our accommodation for the night, not before taking another quick detour to the Giants Causeway. Despite our tired and heavy legs, it was an incredibly worthwhile detour as the Giants Causeway is easily the most unusual and beautiful rock formation we have seen.

Massive thanks to Fearghal King's Great Auntie, Nora, for allowing us to rest our weary bodies in her cosy cottage for the night. And many thanks to Fearghal for helping us to arrange this!!!

Raindrops keep falling on my head, they keep falling...

The distance between Donegal and Letterkenny is not a long one, however short distances are not always easier to cycle than long ones. Elevation, wind direction, road type and temperature can all play their part to turn a potentially pleasant cycle into an ordeal.

Being on a bike introduces a sense of vulnerability and invisibility that is never felt when driving a car. When a truck whizzes past you in heavy rain, you are momentarily swallowed up into a white and windy place. However, despite occasionally being engulfed in the mini tornadoes that follow trucks around, we did cycle through some really beautiful landscapes today. Due to the rain being quite heavy, visibility was reduced to a few hundred metres, meaning that every hill and valley we happened across was a surprise. As is expected from Donegal, it turned up some stunning sights.

We arrived in the Letterkenny Radisson like two drowned rats, but soon thawed out and had food before doing a quick interview on i102-104FM, which consisted mainly of the lady presenter becoming quite excited at the thought of Conor in lycra! I can't help but wonder why she only requested a photo of Conor and not me...

Sligo

To say we found it difficult to leave the comfort and luxury of the Mount Falcon Hotel in Ballina would be in an understatement. However the promise of a day off in Sligo spurred us on through the rain.

Once again the weather proved to be quite miserable which made the going tough on what isn't the most cyclist friendly of roads between Ballina and Sligo.  As luck would have it, we were pulled in on the side of the road for a break when we bumped into John Green, Secretary of the Innisfree Wheelers Cycling Club. John quickly became our saviour as he lead us off the main road onto the quieter and more scenic coastal road. We stopped for a quick sambo and cuppa in Chris and Michael McDermotts shop where we discovered just how small a world it really is as we all seemed to have some common connection. We hit the road again and headed towards Sligo making good time thanks to John's pace setting and the promise of a hot shower and some grub.

We arrived in Sligo in the late afternoon to be greeted by both sets of parents, as well as Rose from the CFAI and her friend, Mary. It was fantastic to be greeted by such friendly faces.

After a quick interview with Dara from Ocean fm we headed out to see the sights (i.e. pubs) of Sligo town!!

We enjoyed a few pints and plenty of craic with our families and were delighted to be joined by our buddies Dan Whelan and Ciara Mulrooney.

The next day we awoke in the Riverside suites to the scent of a delicious fry being cooked by Mammy Phelan! It was the perfect start to our day off. We spent the rest of the day strolling along Strandhill beach and in and around Sligo town. After another delicious home cooked meal from the pantry of Mammy Phelan, we had a relaxing evening before getting a good nights sleep ahead of our next day on the road.

Whilst we thought the welcome into Sligo was special, nothing could have prepared us for the heartwarming sendoff the people of Sligo gave us early on Sunday morning. Many thanks to all the representatives from the CFAI who turned out in great numbers to wave us off. Also a massive thanks to John Green for organising an escort all the way to Bundoran. It truly was an honour to cycle with members of the Innisfree Wheelers Cycling Club. 

After parting company with our new friends from Innisfree we headed towards Ballyshannon where we bumped into an old friend of ours, Rory Gallagher. It was a true honour to meet a musical legend who's almost as good a guitar player as Dan Whelan, and almost as good a singer as Niall Phelan. 

We arrived in Donegal in the early evening and enjoyed a relaxing evening in the town, looking forward to a relatively short spin to Letterkenny the following day.

Ballina

We'll keep this one quick.

Hotel Westport was a fantastic place, but we had to leave for Ballina after breakfast. We've been told that Kerry is the wettest county in Ireland, but we can now officially say that is not true. According to our findings, it never ever stops raining in Mayo! Conditions, however, could have been a lot worse, as once again we were joined by a gentle breeze on our backs.

We met two truly fantastic characters today, people we can all learn a lot from and draw much inspiration. The first such meeting happened in Foxford, where we met Barney the dinosaur, who wears the CF colours of purple and green. Nice to have you on our team Barney!

The second meeting took place in the beautiful surrounds of the Mount Falcon Hotel, just outside Ballina. We were genuinely delighted and charmed that Jillian McNulty, accompanied by her mother, had driven all the way from Longford just to meet us. Thank to you both so much for the lovely chat. We admire the fantastic work you do Jillian, and hope to see you after the cycle.

Connemara

Fully refreshed after a lovely day off in Galway we left the comfort of the Radisson and headed out the road towards Carna.
We arranged to meet  two members of the West Coast Wheelers, Padraic and Padraic. The two lads provided the perfect balance of great company mixed with local knowledge and of course many laughs. The four of us headed out the road towards Salthill and onwards, along the coast road to Spiddle and later Rossaveel. After stopping for a hot chocolate we headed out towards Derravonniff, where the lads turned right and headed back towards Galway. Our group returned to its original line up as we turned left towards Carna.
We both hugely enjoyed our time in Galway city, however in a completely different way we enjoyed our time in Connemara just as much. The landscape and scenery is truly some of the most beautiful on our fair island, ranging from barren bog landscape to mountainous landscape, not forgetting the beautiful sea views.
After spending the night in the comfortable and friendly Carna Bay Hotel we hit the road and headed deeper into Connemara towards Clifden. We noted that whilst the day leaving Carna marked our halfway point, it was also the first really miserable day in terms of the weather. However, despite the dampness, our spirits remained sunny as it was impossible to feel miserable when not only were we surrounded by such beauty, but we also received word that we had passed the €9000 mark!!!
We arrived in Clifden in the early afternoon after a fairly easy going spin from Carna, thanks to a decent tailwind. We had a very relaxing day wandering around the town chatting to some of the friendly locals. After a quick chat with Connemara Community Radio, we headed into town for dinner followed by a hugely entertaining evening in EJ Kings, with the music provided by Michael Cleary accompanied by the 'Australian Santa' on the Flute.

After a hearty breakfast of Buttermilk porridge in the cosy Buttermilk Lodge B+B, we hit the road for Westport. Again, the weather proved to be quite miserable. However, once again we were delighted to have a strong tailwind, which helped us on our way. On the road to Westport we passed the beautiful Kylemore Abbey and stopped for a bowl of soup in Leenane before crossing the border into Mayo. Throughout the afternoon the weather remained miserable, however a combination of the beautiful scenery and a strong tailwind ensured that our spirits remained high. We travelled along the main road towards Westport which formed part of the course for this year's Gael Force West, and soon Croagh Patrick came into view. The weather cleared as we reached Westport in the early afternoon. We will enjoy a relaxing evening in town tonight before heading for Ballina tomorrow and then onwards to Sligo (and our next day off!!!)

G-g-g-g-g-galway!!!!

In the words of our beloved Big Mac (aka. Avril)............HOLY MOLY!!! We've made it to beautiful Galway!!!

We left the Lahinch Golf and Leisure Hotel feeling very refreshed, relaxed and ready for our spin to Galway! We were told to expect poor weather so we hit the road as early as possible. Thankfully the weather reports were wrong!!! The sun was beating down on us again (as it has done for much of this trip) which made the scenery along the route even more spectacular.
With the breeze on our backs we managed to make it as far as Kinvara before stopping for a well earned lunch. After filling our bellies we hit the road again. The thoughts of a day off and seeing our friends and family in Galway gave us an extra boost which meant we arrived into Galway city ahead of schedule. We checked into our comfy room in the Imperial hotel on Eyre square, grabbed a quick shower and then headed across town to meet our welcoming committee.
It's really difficult to put into words just how much we appreciated the heartwarming welcome we received upon our arrival in Galway city. A massive thank you to all those who showed up at the Radisson. Special mention has to go to little Joshua, who looked way cooler than Conor in the purple Oakleys!!!

After a quick chat with our welcoming committee we headed out the road to the Sportsground where we were honoured to be guests of Connacht Rugby at the Connacht-v-Leinster Magners League game. Before the match we were introduced to members of the Connacht squad (Tiernan O'Halloran, Eoin Griffin and Shane Conneely) as well as the team mascot Eddie the Eagle!!
After the match we joined our team of volunteers for a bucket collection in aid of the CFAI. Massive thank you to all the volunteers who helped us with the collection. And a HUGE thanks to the people of Galway for digging deep for the CFAI.
After a long day we were delighted to have a day off to recharge our batteries and get ready for the wilds of Connemara over the next few days!!

We would both like to thank everybody we met in Galway City for such a warm welcome, we'll find it very difficult to leave tomorrow morning!!

In particular we would like to offer our heartfelt thanks to those who gave up their time to help us with the bucket collection on a freezing cold Saturday night: Mags, Niall, Gareth, Jenny, Aisling, Caroline, Virginia, Cliona!

Finally we would like to thank CF Advocate for Galway, Caroline Heffernan, and to wish Senator Fidelma Healy-Eames the very best of luck in the Dublin city Marathon which she is running aid of the CFAI. Best of Luck!!!

West Clare

A short day on the cards was a welcome change from the challenging terrain of Kerry. Our destination was the Tarbert Ferry, which would bring us into Clare, our 7th of 14 counties. Kilrush proved its generosity in style, and nowhere more so than in The Haven Arms pub on the town square. The bar man, Martin, joined us in a table quiz. We failed to impress in the quiz, but Martin and the lads certainly impressed when they announced our trip to the whole bar, leading to unbelievable generosity from the locals. Many thanks to all in The Haven Arms, such a welcome was not expected but was very much appreciated.

We were met by rain and wind the following morning, but it was wind coming from the right direction this time! It blew us up and over the hills that separated Kilrush and Kilkee, meaning that we arrived in Lahinch way ahead of schedule and not overly tired. This short day will hopefully stand to us as we have a long enough journey tomorrow into Galway.

When we arrive in Galway we will be conducting a bucket collection in Galway City from 5pm. We are thrilled to be joined by Galway representatives of the CFAI as well as members of the CyclingForCF Team, who are making the journey from Dublin to help us out. We would like to invite anyone around the Galway area to join us outside the Galway Radisson at half 4. Contact the lads on the numbers below if you would like to help out:

Cathal: 083 4362197

Conor: 083 3600243

Today Cathal received news that his granny used the term "blog" in a sentence! The wonders of the internet (world wide web) will never cease to amaze! We'll have to keep the language clean from now on...

Sneem-Valentia-Tralee.

Yet again we found it very difficult to leave the comfortable Sneem Hotel. Many thanks to Louis and all his staff for their warm welcome. Sneem is an absolutely stunning place and is well worth the visit.
After a hearty breakfast we headed out the road towards Valentia Island. The day began with a spin along to Waterville which had some amazing scenery including the McGillycuddy Reeks on our right hand side followed by some stunning sea views further along the road. We stopped in Waterville for a bowl of soup to warm us up, cleverly timed as we missed the first rain shower of the trip!!!!
After leaving Waterville we headed out the coast road to Ballinskelligs which again had some stunning scenery.........and a few hills along the way. Before reaching Portmagee we had a series of steep (and I mean steep!!!) climbs but the breathtaking (no pun intended) scenery at the top was completely worth it......as was the descent into Portmagee. We were welcomed into Portmagee by Vincent and Sandra, from the Valentia Island Triathlon Club, who treated us to a warm sugary tea as we both must have looked a little cold and pale after the climb!!!

After warming up, Sandra and Vincent kindly dragged us across the bridge to Valentia and along the island to Knightstown. We checked into the cosy Atlantic Villa B&B and received a warm welcome from the proprietor Jackie. Huge thanks to Vincent who treated us to a delicious dinner in the Royal Pier bar in Valentia, which more than adequately filled the gap!! After dinner we returned to Atlantic Villa B&B where we had enjoyed a great night's sleep, followed by a delicious breakfast which included lots of local produce such as Goats cheese, homemade yoghurt and butter and a delicious garden salad (freshly picked from the garden of the B&B). The stunning Valentia Island is well worth a visit..........not only for the amazing scenery and friendly locals but also for the delicious breakfast in the Atlantic Villa B&B.
We also owe a huge thanks to Martin for dropping us across to the mainland on his rib, as the ferry wasn't running (for those of you who consider this cheating, we would have been re-tracing our steps back to the bridge at Portmagee!!). It's fair to say without the short trip in the boat across from Valentia harbour, we may have struggled to make it to Tralee!
It's difficult to explain just how much we appreciate the warm welcome the lovely people of Valentia gave us, particularly after what were our two toughest day so far. It was with a heavy heart (and still heavy legs!) that we left Valentia and headed for Tralee.
Whilst we were still a little sore after the previous days climbing, the hills on the way to Tralee seem like mere speed bumps after hearing the news that we had appeared on the Leinster Rugby website! Sadly, the mention was nothing to do with Conor's natural ability in the scrumhalf position!
We stopped in Kilorglin for a well earned lunch, after which we were met by a fellow cyclist (and fan!) Seamus Coffey. Many thanks to Seamus for joining us on the spin and chatting away to help distract us from the final few climbs of the day!!

We were delighted to arrive in Tralee in the late afternoon, and will rest up for tomorrows journey to Kilrush.

May the road rise to meet you!!!

We found it very difficult to leave the comfort and luxury of the Bantry House B+B this morning. What an amazing experience it was staying in such an incredibly beautiful house, we'd highly recommend staying there as not only is sleeping in such a beautiful and historic house and gardens a great experience but the warm welcome and the hearty breakfast are an experience in itself!!!



Conor in the tunnel into Kerry at the top of the Caha Pass



We eventually hit the road and headed for the Cork-Kerry border, through Glengarriff and up over the Caha pass. Whoever said ''May the road rise to meet you'' has obviously never cycled up over the Caha pass!!!!
Whilst the climb was tough, the incredible scenery and the speedy downhill on the other side made it all the worth while!!

We got a great welcome from the staff of the Park Hotel in Kenmare where we stopped for a spot of lunch. Two smelly boys in Lycra probably wouldn't be the usual clientele for such a luxurious hotel but nonetheless we were given a great welcome!!
After leaving Kenmare, we headed out the road for Sneem. We arrived at the gorgeous Sneem Hotel to a warm reception in the early evening, absolutely shattered after what has been our longest day so far, but despite the sore and tired legs with look back on the day with a sense of pride and achievement.

Finally all the Cycling for CF team would like to say a massive heartfelt thank you to everybody who has donated so far, this evening we passed the €7500 mark!!! Whilst we are delighted to have passed our target we will continue to raise money for the CFAI as they rely completely on fundraising such as this.....so please keep spreading the word!!!

We'll rest well tonight, looking forward to our spin out to Valentia Island tomorrow.

Mizen head!!

We awoke this morning in the comfortable Rookery Cottage B&B to a hearty breakfast cooked by our hostess with the mostest, Rita!! What can we say people, except if you are ever down in the Schull area, the only place to stay is in the Rookery Lodge B&B.



Bell and compass, at the southernmost point



After breakfast we were thrilled to meet Denis Coughlan, who came to wish us all the best with his sister Katie and mother Mary. This gave us a real buzz before hitting the road.

After spending a brilliant evening in Schull with members of the Cycling for CF team (Avril, Joe, Joanne and Eamon), it was with a heavy heart that we hit the road this morning. Whilst we were sad to say goodbye to our friends, we were delighted to have swanky new go-faster accessories for our bikes.

We left Schull and headed out the road towards Mizen Head, passing through some beautiful areas including Goleen, Toormore and Barley Cove. By mid morning we reached Mizen Head, Ireland's Southernmost tip which we were reliably informed by local cartographer Gareth Phelan, is the furthest point from home! However with such beautiful scenery, including Cape clear and the Fastnet Lighthouse on the horizon, it was impossible to feel homesick.

We then headed back towards Bantry, stopping in Durrus for Lunch. It is fair to say we were both gobsmacked by the ornate beauty of the Bantry house and Gardens, which is set to be our home for the night. After dumping our bags in our room we explored the 17th Century house and gardens. The house itself is incredibly beautiful, with so many rooms filled with antique furniture and ornate paintings. However, despite its beauty, we will both have trouble sleeping as a house of this age must surely be haunted!!!

Tomorrow we will be heading across the border into Kerry, through Kenmare and on to Sneem. The next few days will be spent in some of the most beautiful (and mountainous) areas of Ireland, lets just hope the weather stays fine!!!!

Be good!

Into the West (of Cork)

We have just arrived in Schull to a great welcome from Hackett's Bar. After leaving the Celtic Ross Hotel behind in Rosscarbery, we cycled the scenic coast road from Rosscarbery, across the bridge at Glandore.

Avril arranged for us to stay in the Rookery Cottage B&B, a fantastic place run by a really friendly family. This evening we will be joined by Avril, our friends Emma, Joe and Joanne. Munster have already won their game, now we just need Leinster to win theirs and it will be a perfect evening!

The plan for tomorrow is to head down to Mizen head, before heading up to Bantry. So far the weather has been a huge help to us, we hope it will last for a few more days so we can see Cork and Kerry in the sunshine.

Cathal's Aunt Fiona, along with her son Bill, have raised loads of funds through a staff room collection in Ballyroan Boys School. Many thanks to them and also the staff in Ballyroan for the support.

Cork City!!!!

We were delighted to arrive in Cork City this afternoon but even more delighted with the incredibly warm welcome we received!!!
What an honour it was to be greeted by a welcoming party on the steps of Cork City Hall! The party included the Lord Mayor of Cork Michael O'Connell and the Lady Mayoress Christine O'Connell, as well as Cllr Kieran McCarthy and Con and  Callow O'Sullivan from the CFAI.
We were also honoured to be asked to sign the visitors book in the Lord Mayor's office, where our signatures can now be found alongside celebrities such as Jedward and Séan Kelly.
Many thanks to Cliona for setting up this unforgettable reception for us in City Hall!


After leaving the City we headed back out the road to the Radisson Hotel, not before Conor managed to have a near death experience involving a stick (long story!)  but we eventually arrived safe and sound and are delighted to be settled into our luxurious rooms in the Radisson on Little Island.

Both of us are really looking forward chilling out on our day off tomorrow.

PS. Check out our facebook and flickr for photos of the past few days!! Also keep an eye on tomorrows Irish Examiner and tonight's Evening Echo as there should be a mention and photo of us!!! We also hope to be on Life 93.1fm tomorrow. Big thanks again to Cliona for arranging all this publicity!

What's up Youghal?!!

Firstly, a huge thanks to Cliona for arranging a studio interview with WLR and Beat FM, the two "trendiest" radio stations in Waterford. 
We arrived in Youghal after another scorching hot day. This weather was NOT in the brochure, but is very welcome to stay!
The cycle from Waterford has been the toughest day so far. We encountered some leg burning climbs, but the views from the top almost made it worth it!
Liam and Ben McCarthy paid us a visit in Youghal, and we were delighted to get the chance to meet them. Apologies to Ben's teachers for making him miss school, we will accept all responsibilities!
Tomorrow afternoon we will be greeted by the Lord Mayor of Cork at the steps of City Hall at 2:30, so if anyone would like to come out to say hello we'd love to see you there.
We will be posting photos really soon, promise... So keep an eye on our facebook and flickr pages for pictures of our sending off on Saturday (with photos from Michael Delaney and Cormac Phelan), as well as photos of the lads (accompanied by Jimmy Murphy and the unfunny Mark Gilvarry) on the road.

Succesful send off for day one of the trip





We would like to thank everyone who came out on Saturday morning to send us off on our cycle. It was amazing to have so much support.

Huge thanks to the Herbert Park Hotel for providing a great venue for our send off.

We were also delighted to be joined by Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources Eamon Ryan, Dr. James Reilly Fine Gael Spokesperson fro Health , and Cathaoirleach Cllr Lettie McCarthy.

After leaving Herbert park, we spun up the N11 towards Wicklow. We were delighted to be joined by friends and family, including Niall Phelan who could only manage to make it as far as Fosters Avenue due to the great weight of his magnificent moustache.

Now joined by Mark Gilvarry and Jimmy Murphy, the group of four stopped in Ashford to enjoy a great spread put on by Jenny and Brian Purcell whom we can't thank enough for their warm welcome, delicious sandwiches and tea.

We arrived in Arklow late afternoon where we were sad to say goodbye to Jimmy, who had to then cycle all the way back to Dublin!!!

Day 2!

We left the cosy Port-a-chalaigh B&B and headed out the scenic coast road towards Wexford.

Highlights of the Day included Mark Gilvarry's awful jokes, breakfast in Courtown, lunch in Blackwater with the Phelan family and Conor falling on his backside upon arriving in Wexford town!

We received a warm welcome from Vera and Brian Rafferty followed by a delicious feed and cosy beds!

Both of us are feeling fine and are looking forward to heading for Waterford City tomorrow where we will round the corner and begin heading West!!!

Chat with Joe Duffy on Liveline.

On Tuesday October 5th there was a great piece on Joe Duffy's Liveline show about Cystic Fibrosis. The segment highlighted the shamefully low standard of treatment facilities available to people living with CF in Ireland.

The people Joe spoke to included people living with CF, their family members and friends. All of whom spoke with great courage and dignity.

The one clear message that stood out from the segment was that something needs to be done immediately.

Cycling for CF also got a mention with Joe talking to Conor about the project.

To listen to the show visit www.rte.ie/radio1/liveline/
Scroll down to Tuesday Oct 5th, click listen back and skip to 15mins in to hear the piece and Conor chatting to Joe about 1hr and 5mins in.

Don't forget we'll be leaving from Herbert Park (the bandstand) at 10am on Saturday the 9th. All are welcome to come and cheer us on and sure bring your bike if you fancy a spin out the coast towards Arklow!!!

Excitement building as departure date draws close

We can't wait to get on the road on Saturday the 9th of October. The plan is to leave from Herbert Park at 10am.
We'd love to see you there and would extra love if you would cycle with us for a bit, so bring your bike along too

CyclingForCF first ever radio interview!

Cathal and Conor are going to be on Dublin South 93.9FM this Saturday.

Tune into 93.9FM at 2pm on Saturday 25th to hear the lads ramble over the radiowaves.

CyclingForCF Back On Track

Following the theft of Cathal's bike on the 7th of September, we are pleased to announce that both members of CyclingForCF now own a bike!

We would like to thank David and co. at Joe Daly Cycles, as well as Centro Ltd for helping us out of a bikeless situation.

Let the good times roll!

Photo sequence of Cathal's fall

The photographer for CyclingForCF's photoshoot has made a photo sequence of Cathal's journey over the handlebars!

Photos now up!

We have just put some of the photos from our photoshoot up on our flickr page!

Many thanks to Cormac Phelan for giving his time to be the photographer for the day.

Cycling For CF Photoshoot

We had a photoshoot in Wicklow yesterday. We're really excited about the pictures and can't wait to get them up on the website and Flickr page.

Keep an eye out for the first official CyclingForCF pictures ever! (With exclusive shots of Cathal being thrown over the handlebars!!)

Cycling For CF preparation setback

Yesterday, Cycling For CF experienced a slight set back in their preparation for the cycling trip. Cathal's bike was stolen from UCD, on his birthday!
But do not fear, the cycle WILL go ahead! If it comes to it, Cathal can wear roller blades and hold on to Conor's saddle!

Keep an eye out for Cathal's beautiful Trek :(

In October 2010, Cathal Phelan and Conor Doyle will begin an unsupported bicycle trip around the coastline of Ireland. The two Dublin friends will cover 2,500km as they trace an outline of our country in an effort to raise funds and awareness for the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland.

On this website you will be able to track their movements as they cycle with the Current Location map, and see photos and videos of their travels.


Great things are done by a series of small things brought together
-- Vincent Van Gogh