Mizen to Malin a success for 
local cyclists

Dylan Lyness, David Elliott and Enda McDaid, members of Apollo Cycling Team, were part of a 15-strong team who cycled the length of Ireland (from Mizen Head in County Cork to Malin Head in County Donegal) in the space of just four days.

Dylan, who organised the cycle, said: “We went down to Mizen on Wednesday night at stayed over before starting early on Thursday morning.

“The first day was the highest day for climbing.

“We went over the Caragh Pass at a height of 1,100 feet. Six miles of it were all uphill.

“It was tough going but once we’d climbed it, it was very quick downhill on the other side.

He continued: “We finished that day in Tralee then the next day we made our way to Galway across the Shannon estuary. We got the ferry across and that gave us a nice break.

“The weather was really, really good for us. The wind was at our backs which is important in cycling.”

Day three saw the team cycle to Bundoran and the final day took them to Malin Head.

Dylan told how the cyclists coped with the demands on their bodies. He said: “All the hotels we’d booked into had swimming pools so we could relax our legs. A couple of the guys got massages.

“It was very important to restock energy levesl as we went along. Lots of pasta was good for this. You were burining around 4,500 calories a day.”

He commented: “For me the hardest bit was the nine mile climb into the mountains at Donegal.

“Halfway across I really hit a low, but I battled through with the help of the team.

“Every had their low points and no one got left behind. We talked each other through.”

“It was a very emotional moment coming to the finish with all our families there waiting for us.”

Dylan said the support was tremendous: “The cars were beeping to support us and in some of the restaurants we stopped at people were coming up to us and giving us cash .

“We’d aimed to raise £15,000 for Action
 Cancer, but we’re not up to £20,000.” People can still give by logging on to www.justgiving.com/teams/Mizentomalin2013