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On Yer Bike

Wilson and Porterfield to cycle length of Ireland for charity

The pair set off from Cork this Tuesday, and will cycle all the way to Belfast by Saturday.

IRISH CRICKET STARS Gary Wilson and William Porterfield are set to cycle the length of Ireland in just five days, in aid of Cancer Research UK.

The task will start in Cork on Tuesday (October 9) and the journey over five days will take them to Belfast through Kilkenny (overnight Tuesday), Malahide (overnight Wednesday) Armagh (overnight Thursday) and Derry/Londonderry (overnight Friday).

At the end of the marathon, the cyclists will be met on Saturday at Belfast City Hall by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Gavin Robinson.

“It will be tough going”, says Wilson, whose mother Iris died from cancer last year. “Cricket has, of course, kept us pretty fit but I think we’ll have to put in a lot more training before we set off.

“It will be a long haul and I think we will be tested to the limit. But we have organised it that way in the hope that people will support us given the toughness of the task.”

For his part, Porterfield never owned a bike as a child and is only now, at the age of 28, cultivating his skills on two wheels.

He revealed that he was putting the work in, even during Ireland’s matches at the World T20 in Sri Lanka.

“I was just one of those things that I never really rode a bicycle when I was young”, he says. “But I’ve now put in a few miles and, with a bit of luck, should be alright.”

Donations can now be made at www.justgiving.com/Gary-Wilson14 or text the donation to 70070 with the code CRIC50 and the amount you wish to give.