Having only bought bikes in January, Garnock Valley pair Mark Shannan and Stewart Duncan are set to head off from Beith on Monday, June 3, with their final destination being Munich.
The childhood friends will be completing the 1,300km route over just 11 days – aiming to reach the Allianz Arena in time to catch the opening match of Euro 2024 between hosts Germany and, of course, Scotland.
Those wishing to cheer them on can head along for the pair leaving Beith town centre at 7.30am before a manic effort to get to Newcastle in two days, so they don’t miss their ferry to the Amsterdam.
Once in The Netherlands, it will be a direct cycle from there to Germany – via every country in between.
Though the 30-year-old pair may seem odd to many – there is great incentive pulling them, or peddling them, on in their endeavors.
That is because the couple will be completing the cycle in remembrance of Mark’s big sister, Claire, who sadly passed away 18 years ago.
Claire was treated at Yorkhill Hospital and sadly lost her battle with cancer on October 16, 2006.Since then, Mark and his friends have done a number of fundraising challenges in her memory to raise funds for Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity, including the Great Scottish Run and the West Highland Way.
In 2023, Mark launched the Claire Shannan Legacy Fund with Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity – raising £7,500 in her name in just one year so far.
Money raised from the cycle – with donations already exceeding the pair’s £4,000 target – will be added to the fund.
Mark commented: “Unfortunately my Sister Claire passed away in 2006 after a year and a bit of battling cancer.
“I was 12 at the time, and Glasgow Children’s Hospital at Yorkhill helped my family through that hard time. Ever since, me and my pals have been donating for the charity
“I set up the foundation last year in my sister’s name and we always come up with a fundraiser each year.
“Stewart thought this would be a good one to catch some attention with the Euros and take advantage of it to earn some money for the Glasgow children’s charity.
“‘Fundraising allows me to carry on Claire’s legacy, give back to Glasgow Children’s Hospital Charity and to show our family’s appreciation for the fantastic support they showed us all during her time at Yorkhill.”
The couple recognize that a challenging challenge is ahead, but believe that the generosity exhibited by the community already has been fantastic in helping generate even more motivation.
Stewart added: “We’re under no illusions that this will be a really tough undertaking with neither of us doing any cycling previously let mind long distance racing.
“We would both like to say a huge thank you to every single person who’s donated so far, their generosity has been amazing, already smashing our target before we have even started peddling.”
Fundraising efforts in memory of Claire will continue later this year with the ‘Claire Shannan Legacy Ball’ which is being held on October 12 at the Hilton Grosvenor Glasgow.
Limited tickets are still available and can be purchased by contacting Mark directly on markshannan10@gmail.com.
Mark is also seeking donations for a raffle and auction on the night and any interested businesses or people are also welcome to get in touch.
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