Up and down day for ultra-cyclist

To even walk up Cork’s steeply rising St Patrick’s Hill is an achievement in itself, but yesterday “ultra-cyclist” Donncha Cuttriss pedalled its length not just once but 100 times.

The Mayfield native completed the challenge in six hours and 25 minutes, raising over €2,000 for Mayfield Action on Suicide.

The 34-year-old is no stranger to endurance cycling, having completed a 4,800km ride across the US in just 11 days and in the last few weeks pedalling 2,100km around Ireland in less than six days. So for Cuttriss the cycle was, as he said himself, “steep but grand”.

“There was a great buzz, a lot of people there and it made for a fantastic finish. Everyone was on good form, and on the last 10 laps they were cheering. There was a good sense of community. People really enjoyed it.”

Cuttriss said he wanted to do as much as he could for Mayfield Action on Suicide to raise awareness.

“We are thinking about making it an annual event. We could get people involved whether they go up once, 10 times, or 100 times,” he said. “Anything that does something to raise money in the area of suicide, I will be delighted to do.

“There is a lot of negativity around so I love doing something positive and raising positivity in others,” he said. “It’s about getting over that hill, not just physically but mentally. It’s important to remember there are people getting over things in their lives that are a lot harder than what I was doing today. They inspire me.”