Paddy the pedaller: From Crosshaven to Biarritz by bike

At 66, Padraig Healy took up work at his local supermarket but nothing scratched that itch like the epic bike journey he embarked on to raise money for Chernobyl

Padraig Healy, Crosshaven, before he set off on his 1,200 km cycle from Cork to Bayonne, raising money for the Children of Chernobyl, 30th March 2022. Photo: Siobhán Russell

“She carried me through Brittany, from Crosshaven down to the Pyrenees. O’er hills and rivers she bravely toiled, and all she asked was a squirt of oil.” 

These words came to me as I neared the end of my 1,000km cycle ride from Crosshaven (via Roscoff with Brittany Ferries) to Biarritz, raising funds for The Greater Chernobyl Cause as I went. Having retired from my job with the National Learning Network, Hollyhill three years previous, adjusting to the lack of routine that retirement inevitably entailed was proving to be a real challenge. It took the best part of a year to establish a new routine and to accept that, at the age of 66, I could still be of use in some way. I took up part-time work with a local supermarket, signed up as a volunteer with Alone, and decided to learn how to play the mandolin.