I joined a cycling club in February...now I’m cycling 600km from Cork to Paris

When radiology nurse Claire Kenny was told by her friend that the CUH Charity’s Cork to Paris Cycle event last year was an amazing experience, she decided that she would give it a go too.

This week, Claire, who is based at CUH, is doing the six-day cycle herself, while raising funds to provide a wide range of life-changing and life-saving equipment and services for CUH and CUMH.

“My friend said that it was a great experience and that I would really enjoy it,” says Claire.

The CUH Charity’s Cork to Paris Cycle begins today, September 23, with a send-off from the Rebel County before participants get a ferry to Roscoff, and cycle through the stunning landscapes of Brittany, Normandy, and beyond, finishing in the French capital.

Claire is confident she will get over the finish line.

“I made the decision to take part in the Cork to Paris cycle back in February/March,” she says. “I decided I’d go for it, so I joined the Carrigdhoun Cycling Club, based in Carrigaline, which welcomes cyclists of all abilities. They do couch to 60km cycles, and they are a fabulous group.”

Claire got her act together quickly.

“I got a road bike through the Cycle To Work Scheme,” she says. “It’s a brilliant scheme that people can avail of.”

She then began serious training.

“I live in Grange, so I have a nice spin to work and the return journey that takes in Frankfield Hill.”

That hill is no joke to navigate on foot or on a bike. “For sure!” says Claire laughing.

She has enjoyed heading out with other members of Carrigdhoun Cycling Club.

“There is safety in numbers,” says Claire. “And there are people in the club who are bike experts which is reassuring.

“At first, I was overwhelmed that members of the cycling group were so knowledgeable and so experienced.

“Cycling with the group, travelling quiet roads and beautiful roads that I never even knew existed, is a wonderful experience every time.

“You notice so many things along the routes, including the varying road surfaces.”

There are can be nice things just around the corner.

“We come across lovely coffee shops and there’s always a place to park up our bikes,” says Claire. “Our bikes are precious and we don’t want to just throw them on the side of the road. We like to be able to see them when we are taking a break.”

Tim, one of the club’s members, doesn’t travel light, and is a great help if a bicycle develops a fault.

“Tim cycled with Sean Kelly back in the day,” says Claire. “There is no problem that he cannot fix. He has three pockets that contain the kitchen sink in the line of tools! He can pull out all the stops.”

Claire has been nursing for more than 20 years, and is delighted ro raise funds in the CUH charity cycle.

“When family members are ill and in hospital, it can be a worrying time when people are full of concerns and full of worries,” she says.

“The funds raised from the annual Cork to Paris charity cycle last year assisted more people in helping family members with an ill relative in hospital, or for people in crisis, making them more comfortable.

“Local businesses and people in the area are always very good to support fundraising events for CUH and CUMH. When you see everyone supporting our cake sales and raffles, it restores your faith in the world.”

However, Claire says her dad hadn’t a whole lot of faith regarding his daughter taking on the 600km cycle from Cork to Paris. “He said, ‘Are you daft?’ says Claire laughing.

What else did he say?

“Aren’t you a bit old for it?”

Other family members were more encouraging!

“My son is very proud of me taking on the cycle,” says Claire. “Although my brother and sister said, ‘You are doing what?’ when I told them.”

What Claire is doing is feeling the fear and doing it anyway. But she admits there may be a few clouds on the horizon.

“I’m thinking about the unpredictably of the weather,” she says. “I’m thinking, have I even got a rain jacket?”

Claire has gumption, get-up-and-go, and she has her buddies, Aoife and Lauren, cycling alongside her from Cork to Paris.

“Having friends along on the cycle and having the camaraderie between us all, as well as the experienced cycling community, is brilliant,” says Claire. “I am really looking forward to it.

“Making a real difference to the patients and to the further improvement of essential facilities at CUH and CUMH is what it’s all about.”

Professor Richard Greene, who has just retired from medical practice in Cork, is a keen cyclist and a keen advocate for both CUH and CUMH. He did the Cork to Paris cycle event last year.

“It is a really enjoyable, worthwhile experience,” he says.

“I am a regular cyclist, and I decided to take up the challenge cycling from Cork to Paris.

“From the moment you get on the ferry at Cork to Roscoff, you are up for the challenge,” adds Professor Greene.

“Cycling the back roads through picturesque farming villages, historic towns like Rennes and Alencon, through lush regional parks, is a fantastic experience.”

Has he any qualms for Claire?

“The only worry I had after cycling a fair few kilometres the first day, was getting on the bike again the next day! But on day two, you are actually feeling stronger.”

The company was good too.

“There was a really mixed bag of us taking part last year,” says Professor Greene. “We had hospital staff on board, patient advocates, GPs, pharmacists serving the community, retired hospital administrators, and cyclists like me who had trained to do the 600km cycling trip.

“We were a close coherent group, and nobody broke away from the group. We stayed together all the way.

“The usual banter and slagging ensued,” says Professor Greene. “There were no prisoners taken!

“It was wonderful to see family and friends at the Eiffel Tower who had travelled to Paris to cheer us over the finish line.”

The Cork to Paris Cycle 2026 takes place from September 23-29.

See: www.cuhcharity.ie/cork-to-paris-cycle-2/