Two friends Daniel Potter from Carrigart and Mark Openshaw from Ramelton (right) have signed up for the Chase The Sun endurance cycle on the longest day. The cycle will start at the Titanic docks in Belfast on Saturday the 20th of June at 4.46am (sunrise) and the plan is to cycle across Ireland finishing at Enniscrone that evening before sunset at 10.13pm. A distance of 209 miles it is a very tough endurance challenge which the boys have been in training for since January. They cycle every weekend building up to 200km in the next few weeks and are spending 16 and 17 hours in the saddle with only short eating breaks. Its a massive commitment from the two cyclists and their spouses Patricia and Aoife.. Daniel says “As we are doing something that is going to be rather sore and painful I though it might be an idea to try to raise fund for some good causes. We have decided on the Donegal Women’s Center and Meevagh First Responders as this is the 10th year of my sister Louisa’s passing.” They have a go fund me page up and running at https://gofund.me/5c84b3312 and on Tuesday evening they had raised €1,599. Daniel, an IT consultant, is originally from Birmingham but has lived in Carrigart since the age of ten and Mark works in sales was also born in the UK but came to live in Fanad as a young boy before returning to the UK. He is married to Ramelton woman Patricia Roache and he has returned to reside fulltime by the Banks of the Lennon. After the Chase the Sun event Mark plans to cycle the Ring of Kerry this summer. There are four Chase The Sun events, one in Ireland, two in England and one in Italy but the organisors say that this is the most spectacular route, starting on the Irish Sea at the Titanic docks of Belfast, up the dramatic coastal road and the Antrim Glens, heading inland to traverse forests, mountains, and loughs. Riders will discover many of the mythical landscapes and landmarks of the ‘emerald isle’. The Chase The Sun Ireland coast to coast route crosses the border of Northern and Republic of Ireland and finishes at sunset along the Wild Atlantic Way beaches at Enniscrone in Co. Sligo. The route is very hilly with the cyclists climbing over 3km over the 209 miles. To donate the go fund me link is https://gofund.me/5c84b3312 and Daniel is also posting regularly on facebook with updates on their training plan at facebook.com/groups/1279974740257578/
