Local charities got €70,000 from Great Motorway Cycle

IT’S just another roadway now for cars and trucks, but for one day in September the M17-M18 motorway was paved in gold as 2,140 cyclists helped to raise €70,000 for local charities.

The cyclists did either the 100km-plus run from Tuam to Gort and back, or the 50km to Rathmorrissey near Athenry and back with some raising extra sponsorship for their own individual charities.
It was a tough cycle: although the road surface was all that could be wished for, the weather on Sunday September 10 was not. The wind blew more or less in the faces of the cyclists most of the way to Gort, and then veered north-westerly so that it was against them again on the way home.
Add to that squalls of rain and near-hailstones at one stage, and it was quite an endurance test.
However, all who completed the cycle can look back on a unique experience, better enjoyed in retrospect.
The culmination of the effort came in Tuam’s Corralea Court Hotel when representatives from Tuam Cancer Care, the Galway Hospice, and Tuam and Gort Lions Clubs came together to share the proceeds.

Read more in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald