A 64-year-old Galway man has begun the first stage of a 640km charity cycle, eight years after a life-changing spinal injury.
Conor O’Dea, who now lives in Limerick, will navigate the four-day Tour de Munster challenge on a custom-built trike.
It is one of the toughest charity bike events in Ireland, and the Tuam native has completed the event twice as an able-bodied cyclist.
But this time he will take on the gruelling challenge in the specially designed trike after an accident that left him paralysed from the waist down.
“They told me I wouldn’t cycle again, but that was never going to be the case for me. After the accident, getting back on the road with a trike and feeling the wind in my face, it was emotional,” he recalls.
“Tour de Munster was always a goal for me. The camaraderie, the people, the welcome in every town, it’s like a family to me.”
Now in its 25th year, the Tour de Munster will travel through all six counties of the province, beginning in Cork today and travelling through Limerick and on to Killaloe in Clare.
The next three days sees Mr O’Dea and a support crew of 120 cyclists travel through Tralee to Kenmare via Dingle and Killarney before finishing up in Cork on Sunday evening.
By Mr O’Dea’s side throughout is the care team headed by Paula O’Keefe, from Bluebird Care Limerick.
Ms O’Keefe first met Mr O’Dea at the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dún Laoghaire in Dublin.
“I hadn’t cycled a bike in about 15 years”, she said “, but Conor is a determined individual, and he persuaded me to sign up!”
“We have pushed each other, training and preparing for this event. We laugh a lot too, and I get as much out of it as him.”
Charlie Tuffy with Ellen Tuffy of Down Syndrome Limerick alongside Conor O’Dea and Paula O’Keefe
Mr O’Dea said their teamwork is what makes this year’s tour so meaningful.
“We’ve trained together, laughed through the tough days, and now we’ll ride together. That means a lot.”
The money raised from the cycle will go to Down Syndrome Ireland.
Committee member at Down Syndrome Limerick Ellen Tuffy said: “Conor is a beacon of hope and determination. His achievements, both physical and mental, are truly extraordinary.
“He embodies the powerful message that disability does not equate to inability, a belief we hold strongly at Down Syndrome Limerick.
“Conor’s journey continues to inspire our members with Down syndrome, showing them that they, too, can challenge and overcome the stereotypes often imposed by society.”