Son of Kilkerrin man to cycle 620km for charity
DUBLIN cyclist Neal Collins, whose father Bernard hails from Kilkerrin, has organised and will be undertaking a gruelling Malin to Mizen Head seven-day cycle this summer in aid of Barnados and GOAL. Collins, who lives in DonnyÂÂbrook, will cycle 620km from the northern to the southern tips of Ireland between May 29 and June 4 as part of the â€ËœHead2Head Challenge'. Initially, he had planned to convince only close friends to take part in the cycle, but since he went public with the idea almost 100 people from across the country â€â€ from as far afield as London and Edinburgh â€â€ have expressed their interest in signing up. 'It's not just experienced cyclists who want to get involved,' said Neal. 'People who haven't cycled since their school days, and others who don't even own a bike, have been in touch. It just goes to show the popularity of cycling, and the enthusiasm for this type of challenge.' The trip will see intrepid cyclists cover around 100km per day as they travel from Malin Head in Donegal and down along the west coast through Sligo, Mayo, Galway, Clare, Limerick and Kerry before finishing at Mizen Head in Cork, and their plans have even caught the attention of some at the top of the political and sporting fields. Minister for Transport, Sport and Tourism Leo Varadkar has joined Leinster rugby stars, including Jonathan Sexton, in giving the event his backing. Registration for the â€ËœHead2Head Challenge' is now open, and those interested in taking part can sign-up at www.head2headchallenge.com, or they can e-mail the team at head2head 2012 @gmail.com. A deposit of €80 is required and a further €320 is payable within four weeks of registration to cover transport, accommodation and other costs. Participants are enÂÂcouraged to raise at least a further €400 for the charities. Training has kicked off â€â€cyclists were treated to a 30km spin from Sandymount to Howth.