That intrepid band of cyclists, Blazing Saddles, fundraisers for the National Council for the Blind of Ireland,is off to Canada next month with chairman Fergus O'Hagan SC, tour leader Sean Kelly and route co-ordinator, RTE's Liam Miller.
The 200 cyclists, some blind and partially-sighted, gather in Calgary on August 13th and cycle 1,000 miles, crossing the Rockies via Banff, Vernon and Harrison Hot Springs to Vancouver, where the Tanaiste Mary Harney, on a trade mission along the American west coast, will attend the gala dinner for 600 on August 26th organised by the Irish Canadian Chamber of Commerce and others. The Canadian ambassador, Michael Phillips, met some of the party at a rally in Wexford last weekend to wish them well.