Watch: 'Rossie to Aussie' cyclist honoured by local community
The tribute display to Fergal Guihen at Arigna Community Park. Pic: Fergal Guihen
Arigna native Fergal Guihen, who raised more than €210,000 for two local charities following an epic global cycle, was honoured by his local community recently.
Fergal’s mammoth 30,000km fundraising cycle challenge from Arigna to Sydney took him through 28 countries and across three continents over two years. He left his native Arigna on March 10th, 2024 and arrived in Sydney in February this year.
The 27-year-old's hugely successful "Rossie to Aussie" endeavour raised more than €210,000 for two local charities close to his heart, the Mayo/Roscommon Hospice Foundation and mental health charity, North West STOP.
On Friday July 10th, the community of Arigna turned out in force for a special event to honour Fergal's achievement. The event included the unveiling of a tribute display at Arigna Community Park.
In a message shared on social media, Fergal thanked everyone who came out to Arigna to welcome” both myself and my bike Nimrod home”.
“From the day I left on my second-hand bicycle with the ambition of making it to Sydney, I had the support of my entire community. This journey was always bigger than me, and the homecoming tribute proved exactly that.
“The challenge grew with every new country I crossed into, but I wouldn't have made it out of Ireland without the people who shaped me growing up and were there before a single pedal was turned, or tyre punctured.
“The unveiling of the tribute will hopefully be a reminder that great things can happen if you lean into discomfort and back yourself. It's a huge world out there full of kind, generous people, but you'll only experience that if you allow yourself to see the good in people rather than the bad,” he said.
Fergal also paid a massive thanks to the Arigna AREA committee for organising the event and making it such a special day.
Watch him here unveiling the tribute:
Video credit: Fergal Guihen
