The intrepid cyclist and Castleisland native, Tommy Sheehy just got back from a five-day cycle through the northern slopes of The Pyrenees in aid of the Kerry based Enable Ireland offices. An annual excursion now for the Tralee domiciled Tommy over the past decade, he was with a group of 19 other cyclists and the majority of them from Dublin.
“I proudly wore my ‘Kingdom Endurance’ colours throughout the tour,” said Tommy.
“We started in Biarritz on The Bay of Biscay and, over the five days, we covered something like 690 mountainous kilometres to Narbonne on the Gulf of Lion on other side of France. It was a tough five days as we climbed 7,500 metres in height climbing many cols including tour de france favourites Col du Tourmalet at 2115 metres; the Col de Portet d;Aspet at 1069 and Col d;Osquich at 495 metres and we rode at a good competetive pace.
“We had a quick stop off at Lourdes and a visit to the Basilica. Temperatures varied from high 30s to several days of thunderstorms. The experience was great and i really enjoyed the challenge,” said Tommy.
“Many thanks to all the Castleisland people who contributed to a total of €11,350 we raised for Enable Ireland Kerry branch. This money is used locally to provide services to children and adults with disabilities. The services provided include physiotherapy, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy and a range of other services to help support children who attend the centre. Enable Ireland works closely with families who attend the centre to ensure each child leads as full and independent life as possible,” said the genuinely grateful Tommy in conclusion.
