The death of a rising Irish cyclist - and the growing sense of danger on our roads

Gabriele Glodenyte was 24 when she died in a collision in north county Dublin

Listen | 25:12
Seán Landers holds a photograph of his partner, Gabriele Glodenyte, who died in a collision with a driver in the Garristown area of north county Dublin while they were both cycling. Photograph: Laura Hutton
Seán Landers holds a photograph of his partner, Gabriele Glodenyte, who died in a collision with a driver in the Garristown area of north county Dublin while they were both cycling. Photograph: Laura Hutton

On Saturday, May 27th, 2023 champion cyclist Gabriele Glodenyte was out on her bike for a morning spin in north county Dublin with her boyfriend Seán Landers.

Gabriele was 24 years-old, a vibrant young woman who shone at everything she did.

But what started as a typical, carefree day for the young couple ended in tragedy.

Gabriele was killed instantly when an oncoming driver crashed his car.

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Seán (25) came upon the scene moments later and he tells of finding first her mangled bicycle on the road and then her fatally injured body.

Cycling deaths on the roads: ‘I was searching for her and then I found her in the ditch’Opens in new window ]

As the terrible shock has given way to deep grief, Seán wants to tell the story of that dreadful day in hopes, he says, that motorists will realise just how vulnerable cyclists are.

“I want to be able to tell that story to make a difference,” he tells Bernice Harrison on today’s In the News podcast, “to try get some goodness out of the worst thing that could have ever happened to me”.

In the ten years since he took up cycling, it has become increasingly dangerous for cyclists with drivers behaving more aggressively, he says.

More than 1,600 cyclists have suffered serious crash injuries on Irish roads over the last seven years.

Presented by Bernice Harrison. Produced by Declan Conlon.

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison

Bernice Harrison is an Irish Times journalist and cohost of In the News podcast