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Pensioner in trans-American cycle challenge

Friday, 04 April 2008

A 65-year-old kindhearted Dubliner is attempting to become the first old age pensioner to cycle across the United States in a bid to raise e250,000 for Our Lady’s Hospital for Sick Children in Crumlin.
Eugene O’Leary, who is semi-retired, has already raised a massive e40,000 for the hospital.
Eugene’s daughter, Helen, was a patient at the children’s hospital until she was 18 years old. However, tragically, in February 2002 she died one year after leaving the care of the hospital.
Eugene’s 10-year-old grandson Dylan O’Leary is now also a patient in Crumlin hospital and is receiving chemotherapy treatment for non-malignant but aggressive bone tumours.
Eugene has already raised over e40,000 for the hospital over the last few years by taking part in their overseas cycle challenges in Durban, South Africa; Lake Balaton, Hungary; Flagstaff, Arizona and last year in Niagara, Ontario.
Each of these challenges involved cycling a distance of 100 kilometres (62 miles) a day for five days.
And the fit semi-retired administrator at the Drug Awareness Centre in Howth has a very busy schedule ahead of him for the next year and a half.

This September he will take part in the hospital’s cycle challenge in Monterey, California.
Earlier in the year, on June 2, he will embark on a 150-mile fundraising cycle from the Galway Docks to Howth.
But his biggest challenge will take place from June 2, 2009 to Monday, August 10, 2009, over a course of 50 days, when he hopes to cycle across America and raise e250,000 in sponsorship for the hospital’s Intensive Care Unit.
On the May and June bank holiday weekends this year Eugene will cycle each day on a stationary bicycle at the entrance to the East Pier in Howth to raise money for his various fundraising trips.
Praising the staff at Crumlin Children’s hospital, Eugene said: “The staff at Crumlin are absolutely fantastic and always have been as far as we are concerned. For instance when my daughter Helen died you would swear to God that the nurses were her parents and it was like a child of their own had died. They take everything to heart and they are really dedicated people.”
Eugene is also looking for a corporate sponsor to meet the e10,000 cost of his trip across America next year.
Anyone who wishes to make a donation can log on to www.the-pedaling-pensioner.org. You can also get more information on Eugene’s Bebo page at www.PedalingPensioner.bebo.com
All donations will be paid directly to the Children's Medical and Research Foundation at Our Lady's Children's Hospital in Crumlin.
Eugene is also asking people with access to a printer to request a copy of his poster at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , and print one or two off and put them up in local shops.
He can be contacted directly on 0860571612 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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