On a wet Saturday morning in April, 10, a collection of brave TRIBE members made their way out to Blessington Lake in County Wicklow to participate in the 13th annual Ronald McDonald House Charity cycle.

On a wet Saturday morning in April, 10, a collection of brave TRIBE members made their way out to Blessington Lake in County Wicklow to participate in the 13th annual Ronald McDonald House Charity cycle. Ronald McDonald House Charity provides accommodation for families of seriously ill children who are undergoing treatment at Crumlin Hospital in Dublin. The House enables families to stay together so that parents can be with their sick child during their treatment.  The money raised from the Cycling4Families event will not only help with the maintenance of the House, but will also be used to help fund the construction of a new 53 bedroom House on the site of St. James’s Hospital, Dublin.  In total, Avolon raised just over €2,000 for the Ronald McDonald House Charity through a combination of jersey sponsorship and individual cyclist sponsorship for the event. There were a few familiar faces from the same event last year and some new entrants as well. Scenes at Mary Macs the previous evening only led to one “non-runner” (although I’m assured he did complete his own 75km cycle later in the day). The event began with dark clouds and light drizzle which continued throughout the day. Those taking on the 25km, 50km and 100km distances found themselves on an undulating lap (or two) of the scenic Blessington Lake! The Avolon Credit Team led the way, racing up every incline and flying down every slope, they even having enough time to stop for selfies! Others followed in behind and overcame various challenges including cold hands and a last minute puncture to arrive safe. At the finish line, the cyclists were greeted with burgers, ice creams and well-earned cups of tea. Talk soon turned to the difficulty of the cycle with some remarking that their legs were “suffering from acute PTSD from what they were put through today”, while others described the cycle as a “gruelling but rewarding” challenge. Thankfully there was no lasting damage, and all participants were very pleased to have finished their cycles and raised some money for a very worthy cause. More information about Ronald McDonald House is available on their website (www.rmhc.ie).