Mayo man marks his 60th birthday with a 7,500km cycle through Europe

A Mayo man is preparing to take on one of Europe’s most extreme cycling as he marks his 60th birthday by riding from the northernmost point of mainland Europe to southern Spain.

Louisburgh native Daithí Heneghan will begin his journey at the North Cape in Norway at one minute past midnight on June 20, cycling south to Tarifa in Spain in approximately 36 days.

The route will take him through 15 countries and include an estimated 80,000 metres of climbing, exposing him to a wide range of terrain and extreme weather conditions.

An experienced long-distance cyclist, Heneghan is no stranger to these sorts of challenges. Two and a half years ago, he completed a cycle from Turin to the North Cape as well as previously riding the length of the Wild Atlantic Way.

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“I have always done long bike rides that I liked doing,” he told The Mayo News. “Some fella once said something about why we do things, and the answer was ‘why not?’”

Turning 60 last October prompted Henegan to set himself a new goal, one that would also give back to others. “I’ve been really lucky in my life,” he said. “I thought it was time to do something very special, to give back to people who haven’t been as lucky as me.”

Target

HE has set a fundraising target of £60,000 for COCO, a charity dedicated to providing sustainable education opportunities for children in marginalised communities in South East Africa. “So a thousand for each of my years,” he explained. “To raise that type of money, you have to do something big. Fewer than 100 people in the whole world have ever done this, and I wanted to be one of the few.”

Henegan chose COCO due to a personal connection with the organisation. “I have a very good friend who formed this charity many years ago,” he said. “Jim Panton and Steve Cra, set it up to raise money for underprivileged youngsters in South East Africa. A lot of my family was in education, so that’s why I decided to choose COCO.”

Beyond the physical challenge, Heneghan says the journey is about discovering parts of Europe he has not had the opportunity to see yet.

“I wanted to cycle, because I feel you see more when you’re cycling than when you’re walking or in a car,” he said. “I am going to see parts of 15 different countries that I have never seen before. We’re all travellers by nature, and I love travelling.”

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Intense preparation

PREPARATION for the challenge has been intense, involving thousands of kilometres of training. “The one I did two years ago was four and a half thousand kilometres, and I probably cycled seven thousand kilometres of training before it,” he said, often completing three consecutive 200 kilometres days at the weekend.

He added that the mental challenge can be just as demanding as the physical one. “You spend a lot of time in your own head. You have to prepare for it mentally because it gets very emotional, especially when things go wrong, and you’re 50 kilometres from the nearest place to eat or even get a glass of water.”

“This milestone birthday felt like the perfect time to do something big,” Heneghan said. “COCO’s work transforms lives, and I hope this ride inspires people to support a cause that makes a real, long-term difference.”

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If you would like to donate, go to https://coco.enthuse.com/pf/daithi-heneghan-nct60460