INNISHANNON man Enda Francis-Devine has completed a marathon charity cycle pedalling over 3,500km from Ireland to Istanbul to raise funds for Gaza, writes Sylvia Pownall.
The 26-year-old teamed up with his friend Conor Kavanagh, also 26, from Co Meath, for the gruelling fundraiser in aid of Doctors without Borders.
Enda provided The Southern Star with an update on project Gears for Gaza after he reached his final destination late last week.
‘We arrived in Istanbul yesterday, crossing the bridge to Asia and completing the journey at a total of 3,846km,’ he revealed.
‘Throughout the trip we totalled 46 days, 27,013m of elevation (the height of Mount Everest over three times), 13 countries, two time zones, ten hostels, only one puncture, two police escorts, and €21,462 raised for Doctors Without Borders.’
Enda and Conor, who are both social workers, were prompted to act when they saw the suffering of the people of war-torn Gaza, where a man-made famine has now been declared.
They departed Ireland by ferry in early July and reached their end point in Turkey right on schedule, before the end of August.
Enda revealed: ‘The biggest challenges we faced were the wild dogs in Turkey, the heat, cycling in up to 40 degrees celcius, camping in wolf and bear territory in the Bosnian and Serbian mountains, cold weather and rain during our Alp crossing.’
As if that wasn’t hard enough a 12-hour vomiting bug on a Bosnian river bank, and cycling that day, tested the mettle of both men, as well as what Enda described as ‘unfathomably sore asses’.
Enda said they also had to navigate the highways into Istanbul, and found it a challenge to consume enough food to maintain the calories needed to cover up to 120km of ground each day.
‘The highlights,’ said Enda, ‘were camping in beautiful landscapes, meeting incredibly friendly people every day. Each border crossing was a victory, the bikes held up ferociously well with next to no issues, and getting off the bike for the final time on the Asian side of the Bosphorus Strait.’
The fund is still open and you can donate at https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/GearsforGaza
