COVID-19 has seen dramatic change in sports seasons, as many events and competitions have been cancelled or postponed. From club to high performance, athletes are looking for new targets, motivations and goals.
With little racing or opportunities to compete this summer in cycling, a select few members of the UCD Triathlon club decided to take matters into their own hands and plan a cycling adventure they likely won’t forget. From the 28th - 31st of July, the group will be cycling 600km on a roundtrip journey to Cork, as part of a fundraising campaign for YMCA Dublin’s youth outreach programmes.
In particular, YMCA’s PlusOne Mentoring programme is a fantastic resource for young people aged 10 - 17 to be matched with a local member of the community throughout that transitional period of their life. The YMCA has been helping young people become active and positive participants in their community for over 170 years, and the Dublin location is the second oldest YMCA location in the world.
While some of the group are experienced cyclists, many of them are new to the sport, and have never cycled further than 50k in one go. Getting ready to take on the challenge, the team are preparing for the 600km adventure, with the target of raising €1000 for YMCA. An event like this is a great opportunity for people to participate in a new challenge while also contributing to a good cause.
The group’s idea has been partially inspired by the many charitable efforts and fitness challenges that people have taken up during lockdown, including back garden marathons and triathlons, push ups and plank challenges. Back in April, the Run 5, Nominate 5 and Donate 5 Challenge raised over €200,000 for the HSE in just over two weeks. The Social Distance Digital Relay raised over €75,000 doe
The cycle group will be taking over Her Sport’s Instagram, sharing stories along the way and updates when and where they can! Be sure to check in to see how the athletes fuel for 600km, recover from 7+ hours a day of riding, and the inevitable challenges they have to overcome to make it to Cork and back!
Check out the fundraiser link if you would like to help and support their efforts.
