Long-running charity cycle spinning on
Early one cold and wet Friday morning in late March, 1987, 10 seminarians from Maynooth set off on bicycles from their base in Parson Street and headed west.
Organised by the Young Christian Students group, the intention was to get to Galway and raise a few bob for the ISPCC along the way.
Martin 'Roxy' Rocks was there, and remembers icicles hanging off his helmet by the time they got to Kinnegad.
"It was so cold! There were only 10 of us. We had only one car for support along the way."
So far so straightforward. It's a story of a couple of lads heading off on a bit of a madcap adventure in aid of charity. What they couldn't have foreseen was that 22 years later, 137 cyclists, and 100 support crew and collectors would make the same trip and raise n77,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Association of Ireland.
But that doesn't even begin to tell the whole story of the last 22 years.
Those 10 men were the founding fathers of quite an extraordinary organisation which, as well as raising hundreds of thousands of euro for charity and changing the lives of the people who benefited from those charities, has also created an enormous and potent community of people.
While the event has grown greatly, with more participants and money along with a more professional approach to cycling, training, health and safety, insurance, on-route support , branding and public relations, the basic format of the event has remained the same.
On the Friday morning of a weekend in late March or early April, the cyclists and their support convoy leave the college before daylight.
They stop in Kinnegad, Moate, Ballinasloe and Loughrea before arriving at approximately 5.30pm in Eyre Square.
On Saturday they take to the streets of Galway shaking buckets, busking, dancing, juggling and generally acting the maggot to attract a few coins from the public.
And on Sunday morning, they congregate in Eyre Square once again, get back on their bikes and retrace their route back to Maynooth.
But the effect on the participants has been equally extraordinary.
As well as developing "turbo-legs" as Amy Brogan, one of the participants called the physical changes brought on by training for the event, everyone the Leinster Leader spoke to raved about the sense of camaraderie and achievement.
Over the 22 years there have been hundreds of lasting friendships made, dozens of relationships, at least three marriages amongst Galway Cycle regulars and legend has it, at least one baby conceived during the course of the weekend!
To this day, 15 to 20 years after they have left college, many people's circle of friends revolves around those they met through the Cycle.
While the cycle remains firmly attached to the NUI Maynooth, the vast majority of those taking part are either graduates, or have never even been to college there.
"Because you're bringing back people who have moved into the professional world, you're bringing back their expertise to help guide the new, younger leaders of the event," Gary Hoctor, who completed his first cycle in 1993, noted.
"I think that the introduction of email, web and text communication has also led to its development.
"It's much easier to keep in touch - not just on a macro level when you're telling people about the first meeting of the year - but on a micro level when you text people that more collectors are needed on Shop Street in Galway," he added.
"I was more into cycling than into charity fundraising - until I learned how much fun it could be," he said.
"The cycle took place during Lent and I had abstained from beer that year, but in subsequent years I didn't abstain and realised the numbing effect alcohol can have on sore body parts."
He's completed 11 cycles, missing a few through studying abroad and work. In that time he's been a cyclist, collector, mechanic, photographer, videographer and sponsor.
"You learn a lot about yourself and other people. This a hugely collaborative event and you need most of the people pointing (and cycling) in the same direction.
"It's a great testament to the students that this Cycle is still happening 22 years later - all because the cause is passed on from one generation to the next - without any institutional infrastructure in place," Gary said, adding: "It's volunteering at its best."
David Hickey, a first timer in 2009 explained: "I made some real good new friends. It's very sociable, relaxed and more importantly gives everyone a great sense of achievement - and I don't mean cycling the 200 km and back - for raising so much money for very worthy causes."
Harry Wilkinson was introduced to the event by Gary Hoctor in 1997 and has participated in nine editions. He says that of all the things he has gained "friendships are the thing that stand out most - not only meeting new people every year, but staying in contact with many of them.
"The generosity of people, in good times and bad, has never ceased to impress me."
He returns year after year safe in the "knowledge that you will have a great weekend and enjoy that sense of belonging to something far greater the sum of its parts.
"The sense of community is astounding, and difficult to understand. The ease with which people of different ages get on with each other is interesting, and the common goal and effort to keep up the tradition must have something to do with that.
"Friendships made on the cycle are easy to keep, even if you only meet once a year."
Martin Rocks holds the distinguished position of being the only cyclist to complete all 22 trips.
He is now the lead cyclist, controlling the pace and, with his fellow marshals, making sure that everyone gets to Galway safely.
The current president of the organising committee Ciaran Pollard first made the trip in 2002 and has made the trip six times.
"You don't realise you're doing what you're doing because you're having so much fun," he said.
"It's not just about getting down to Galway and back, there's so much more to it."
Shane Lynn, who did the cycle in 2004 and in 2009, agreed. "There's a sense of goodwill."
"It attracts a certain type of person," Amy Brogan argues. "There's friendship, personal challenge, a sense of young people coming together for a common cause, and that sense that when it gets really tough in training, or on the weekend, when you're going though a bad patch, you can rely on your friends to get you through."
"It's kinda corny, but corny for a good reason," she said.
For more details, see www.galwaycycle.ie.
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Thursday 17 May 2012
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