Castlebar group saddling up for epilepsy

AT THE READY Irish rugby manager Joe Schmidt pictured launching Saddle Up For Epilepsy. It takes place in Mayo this Saturday.

Edwin McGreal

A group of 17 cyclists led by two well-known Castlebar families are entering a team in this year’s Saddle Up for Epilepsy cycle this Saturday.
The event takes place in Breaffy, Castlebar this Saturday and a team made up of members of the Tuohy family from Newport Road and the McCaffrey family from Fortfield, together with friends, are bidding to cover over 1,000 kilometres on the day.
Dubbing themselves Team Lightspeed, many of the group are more used to swimming than cycling but as one of the members, Brian McCaffrey explains, they are ‘more than happy to ditch the swimsuits for the bike for this great cause’.
“It’s in aid of Epilepsy Ireland. They do incredible work to support people with epilepsy to understand it, manage it and adjust their life. It’s a sadly underfunded service but I’ve seen the difference this group are making,” McCaffrey told The Mayo News.
Hundreds are expected to take part on the day but Team Lightspeed are hoping to make that extra difference thanks to Brian McCaffrey’s employers.
He works for Google in Dublin and any monies raised by Team Lightspeed will be matched by Google. The group raised €7,500 last year and are hoping to improve that this year.
There are three cycle routes on Saturday, all starting from Breaffy Sports Arena. There are 45km, 70km and 123km options.
“The training is tough going, last Saturday a couple of us were up at 7am,” Brian McCaffrey explains. “It was two degrees and dark but we set off and did 70km and experienced everything from blinding sun, howling wind and a couple of bouts of sleet but you have to do that. Getting the miles in the legs is one part of training but it’s also about knowing how to keep going when it getting ugly.
“It is an adjustment from swimming certainly but some of the group have tried their hand at Triathlons while Peter Tuohy is a keen cyclist and member of the Castlebar Cycling Club so we have a few to learn from,” he added.
If you are affected by epilepsy and would like more information on how to manage the condition or would like to attend a talk or workshop, get in touch with Epilepsy Ireland by phoning 091 587640 or emailing ekillarney@epilepsy.ie. 
For more details on Team Lightspeed see their website www.teamlightspeed.com.