On yer bike: Soccer supporters gear up to pedal to Poland

It’s one thing packing yourself into an impossibly small caravan with nearly a dozen people to make the trek to see Ireland in Poland, but it’s quite another to pedal your way there.

Ireland’s qualification for any major sporting event always attracts diehards determined to make it there in as physically demanding a manner as possible, and Euro 2012 will be no different.

The Pedal to Poland challenge will see an 11-strong team of cyclists leave Dublin on May 30 and cycle through Britain, the Netherlands, and Germany to make it on time for Ireland’s clash with Spain on June 14.

The team are not just doing it for some physical punishment, but also to raise over €50,000 for three charities: Arthritis Ireland, Renewable World, and Headstrong.

Declan Arthur, a veteran of Irish soccer campaigns and one of the organisers, said the group was thrilled to have been selected as an official charity partner of the FAI.

“An incredible amount of work is going into the organisation of this event so we are asking everyone to get behind us and support Pedal to Poland in any way they can to ensure that it is a huge success,” he said.

“We’ll be doing on average 110km a day so this won’t be for the faint-hearted.”

A support van will travel with the team to carry equipment and to take the bikes back to Ireland after the exhausting journey.

* pedaltopoland.com