ABBEYFEALE CYCLING CLUB PULLS A “JULES VERNE” ADVENTURE TO SUPPORT LOCAL CHARITIES

In a monumental effort to raise much needed funds for local charities, Abbeyfeale Cycle Club has begun the enormous task of cycling around the world in 80 days, without leaving the vicinity! In the original story,  Phileas Fogg of London and his newly employed rench valet Passepartout attempt to circumnavigate the world in 80 days on a £20,000 wager (£2,242,900 in 2020) set by his friends at the Reform Club. While Abbeyfeale Cycle Club has set the much less ambitious financial target of €10,000, it is nonetheless a substantial sum for the charities who will benefit. Peter English of ACC told me “We were to have our Zoe Cycle this year two weeks ago and for obvious reasons it didn’t happen. It was the charities that were losing out then and will continue to do so into the future so we muddled with the idea of what could we do in the space and time frame. Lots of ideas were put forward but didn’t push the buttons, but then and there Around the World in 80 Day’s came about. We have the bodies to physically do it, 40 plus cyclists have committed to take part, which works out at 800km over 80 Days per person. We just don’t want the elite’s, we want the beginner and leisure cyclist to contribute to the QUEST, because that’s what it is. We will need everyone to help. More so, we need people to donate, without the donations we won’t be able to reach the €10,000, what we would like to do is to exceed the goal.”
The local charities to benefit are Friends of St. Ita’s in Newcastle West, Rathfredagh Cheshire Home, and the Brothers of Charity.
“The cycling conditions improved with the first wave of restrictions being lifted that you now have the scope to reach 20k to 30k loops from your house using the 5k radius from your home. At present it’s individual cycles apart from Spouses. You can go in groups of not more than 4 once HSE recomm-endations on Social Distancing are adhered to.
ACC have grown into being a huge supporter of Local Charities and are very proud of that fact.
We had our Sportive in association with the Remembering Zoe Cycle cancelled this month and it’s the charities that will lose out so we wanted to do something that would help them and challenge us…. Around the World in 80 Days would fit that challenge and with the help of the community near and far away we hope to reach and possibly exceed our goal.”
We wish them all the best in their efforts. Please visit the Facebook page to support this very worthy cause. And if Phileas Fogg could do it, I’ve no doubt but these lads and lassies can too!