Riding through her own pain inspires Irish track sensation to back Barretstown

Lara Gillespie: I know people who have been very much helped by Barretstown and how valuable it is and how special and magical it is. Picture: Barretstown

Years battling severe pain from an undiagnosed illness is one of the reasons Olympic hopeful Lara Gillespie will be in this year’s Barretstown Cycle Challenge.

The experience has helped the track cycling sensation appreciate the suffering of the seriously ill children who stay at the famous residential camps run by the Kildare charity.