PREPARING for the big day: Edwina Treacy and Neil Johnson of Croi are in the final stages of preparation for the Tour de Lough Corrib.

Volunteers keep the wheels of Croí turning

‘CYCLE 75 miles around Lough Corrib in one day? You must be mad!” That was the reaction of the average Galway person almost a quarter of a century ago, in 1995, when the first “Tour de Lough Corrib” was announced.

Cycling back then was a very minority activity — far from the state of the sport today, with hundreds of pedallers taking to the highways and byways every week.
So when the optimistic group decided they’d give it a go in aid of the fledgling heart and stroke charity, Croí, they expected at most 100 to take part.
In the event, they got twice that number — and the Tour de Lough Corrib has never looked back.

Read the full feature in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald