Pieta 100 cycle comes to Tipperary and Offaly this Sunday

THE PIETA 100 charity cycle takes place at nine venues nationwide this Sunday, including Tipperary and Offaly. It gets underway at 9am from the County Arms Hotel in Birr, Co Offaly. Photographers and reporters are welcome to come along on Sunday morning.

After a successful debut last year, the Pieta 100 has expanded from three locations to nine in 2016. Last year the cycles raised nearly €100,000, funds that help to keep Pieta’s life-saving counselling services free.

This year people can saddle up for the 100k or 50k events in Cork, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny/Carlow, Limerick, Tipperary/Offaly or Waterford.

Pieta 100 Cycle Ambassador Paula MacSweeney, Today FM, today at the launch of the Pieta 100 cycle at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. The cycle, which is in its 2nd year, is supported by Aviva and has extended to 10 venues for 2016. The cycle will take place on the 25th September at venues across the country and includes both a 100km and a 50km route. For more information log on to www.pieta100cycle.com #Pieta100 Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

Earlier this year, Pieta House was chosen by employees at Aviva Ireland as their charity partner over the next two years. The objective of the partnership is to make the Pieta 100 a 32-county event that will become over time as successful in raising funds for Pieta House as the Darkness Into Light walks, which take place each May.

Rugby stars David Wallace and Jenny Murphy, cyclist Martyn Irvine, rugby analyst Brent Pope and Today FM presenter Paula MacSweeney gathered at the Aviva Stadium to promote the cycles.

Pieta House CEO Brian Higgins, who has recently finished a 1,000km rickshaw road-trip across Ireland to raise awareness of the stigma around suicide and mental health issues, says there are many reasons why the Pieta 100 should appeal to people.

“It’s an exciting thing to be involved in. We wanted to build on the momentum of support that we have amassed from Darkness Into Light,” he said. “The Pieta 100 is open to individuals and teams, but everyone is in this together – it’s not a race.”

“It’s about starting and finishing a journey in a time that suits you and that’s a reflection of how our work at Pieta House is done. It’s about engaging with people and sitting alongside them on a journey and that journey can take as long as it needs to for that person. We want to travel alongside them and support them.

“In the same way that someone out on a cycle can put a supportive hand on your back to help push you up a hill, that’s really the job of Pieta House too.

“There’s a personal achievement that comes out of it, there’s the achievement of meeting new people and having a good day’s craic. There’s also the achievement of having raised money to keep our services free for anyone who needs them.”

With 1,500 taking part last year in three venues (Limerick, Cork and Galway), organisers hope to get close to 5,000 people involved this year.