"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream". --C.S. Lewis

My name is Eugene O’Leary. I am a 65 year old cyclist! ("The Pedaling Pensioner!") My daughter, Helen was a patient of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, Crumlin until she was eighteen years old. She died one year after leaving the care of the hospital (February 2002), and having her care transferred to an adult hospital.

In order to show some appreciation for the wonderful work done by the hospital in enabling my wife and I, together with her brothers and sisters to enjoy the gift of having “an angel” in our family for nineteen years, I started to do fundraising cycles for Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital, four years ago.

I have raised over €40,000 for the Children’s Medical & Research foundation which is the fundraising arm for both the Foundation and the hospital, over the last three summers, by doing a series of 8 hour static cycles (on a training frame) on Bank Holiday weekends, at the entrance to the East Pier, Howth, Co. Dublin, in recognition of the wonderful care that our daughter was given, while a patient of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.

My ten-year old grandson (Dylan) is now also a patient of the hospital and is receiving chemotherapy treatment for non-malignant but very aggressive bone tumours. He is receiving excellent care and is doing really well.

I have taken part in the hospitals overseas cycle challenges in Durban, South Africa; Lake Balaton, Hungary; Flagstaff, Arizona and last year in Niagara, Ontario. Each of these challenges entailed cycling a distance of 100 kilometres (62 miles) a day for five days. I will now be taking part in this years (2008) cycle challenge in Monterey, California from 5th. to 15th. September.

Earlier in the year, on June 2nd, I will be doing a 150 mile fundraising cycle from Galway Docks to Howth, Co. Dublin i.e. from the Atlantic Ocean to the Irish Sea.

From Sunday June 21st to Monday August 10th. 2009 (50 days), I hope to cycle across America and raise €250,000 in sponsorship for the Intensive Care Unit of Our Lady’s Children’s Hospital.