From Cork to Everest: ‘I know I can do it’

A Cork man preparing to cycle from Blackrock to Mount Everest base camp has said he’s ready for the “pain and suffering” he will endure.

Daragh Cronin, 23, hopes to raise €30,000 during the seven-month, 12,500km expedition which will all go directly to the children’s wards at CUH.

The Blackrock native, who just last year became the youngest and fastest Irish person to navigate the entire length of Africa by bike, sets off on his latest expedition on 14 February.

“I’m absolutely buzzing to get going again,” he told the Cork Independent.

“It’s a strange headspace to be in, leading up to a trip like this. With Africa I was lucky in a way, as ignorance is bliss, I didn’t truly know what I was getting myself into. Whereas with this trip, I know I can do it, but I know the pain and suffering I have to endure to get it done.

“This trip isn’t about cycling, it’s about showing everyone at home that these mad dreams, these seemingly impossible tasks, that they’re not impossible,” added Daragh.

Daragh will be using the very same vintage Raleigh touring bike he used on his Africa trip which he bought from the Bike Shed in Cork. After taking a ferry from Rosslare to France, he will set off across Europe before making his way through the Middle East, Iraq, Oman, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and on to Everest base camp.

As he psyches himself up for this mammoth adventure, Daragh said that though the cycling will take a painful toll on his body, the isolation and sheer magnitude of the challenge are his biggest obstacles.

He said: “The route is somewhat straightforward. I’m lucky to have my experience from Africa. The logistics of crossing that continent by land are intense. The visas and political situations that come with Africa are treacherous. I managed to figure it all out when I was there and it’ll be a similar experience with this Everest expedition, I hope.

“Once I reach Turkey, I’ll be taking a right and crossing the hardest stretch of the trip. Navigating Iraq, Saudi, and the entirety of the Middle East in peak summer is going to be an immense challenge.”

Daragh will be traveling light for the journey, taking with him only what he needs to survive – and two hurleys of course!

“I’m hoping to have a puck with anyone and everyone I meet along the way,” he explained.

“Sharing the Irish culture is a massive part of this trip. I absolutely love Ireland and where I’m from. I’m a proud Irishman, a proud Cork man, and a proud Rockie.

“Hurling is the best game in the world and getting to share it with people all over the world is a dream come true,” added Daragh.

Having had no prior cycling experience ahead of his Africa challenge, Darragh describes his relationship with the mode of transport as “a strange one”.

He said: “I’m not even an avid cyclist. It was the mode of transport I landed on that would enable me to feel every inch of forward movement, that would allow me to go slow enough so that I’d be able to soak in all that was around me. As of now I don’t do much cycling. I cycle 10km every day just to get to work and home again.”

Daragh hopes the people of Cork and further afield can support the trek for CUH Charity at idonate.ie/roaminwithcronin.