Man told he would never cycle again to take on Tour de Munster bike challenge

RTÉ News​

3 days ago

A Limerick man who was told he would never be able to cycle again is taking on the Tour de Munster bike challenge to raise funds for charity.
Conor O'Dea went from cycling competitively to being paralysed from the neck down after an accident seven years ago.
But tomorrow, he will begin the 640km bike tour around the counties of Munster.
Sport has always been an important part of Mr O'Dea's life. He had been a Gaelic footballer in his youth and took up triathlons in later life.
In August 2018, while training for a triathlon event, he was involved in an accident.
"I ended up having an impact off the back of a van headfirst, and I was thrown out onto the side of the road. I was whisked away to the local hospital, and I was unconscious for three days," he said.
Mr O'Dea had a spinal cord injury and at first had no movement in his body below his neck. While in University Hospital Limerick, some tiny movements returned, and he was transferred to the National Rehabilitation Hospital in Dublin.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime, he said he was determined to focus on gradual improvement.
"I made a conscious decision that I just was going to think positive and not dwell in any negativity. There's no point in looking backwards, there's nothing to be gained from it, and there's no point in looking too far forward either, because the further you look into the future, the more negativity."
Over time, more movement returned to both his upper and lower body.
"It's all about little incrementals, and I'm happy with the incrementals. That's all that matters. That's how I survive."
A triathlon friend contacted him to suggest he could get a custom-built trike adapted to his needs. With the help of a local bike shop and charities, the idea became reality.
"The first time I got the trike, and I went out my front gate there and turned down, I could feel the wind in my face. And that was a real sign of wow, ok, you're back on the bike."
"I never thought I'd get this feeling again. I'm not an emotional fish, but that was close to it. It was incredible."
Mr O'Dea said it has been easy to stay positive with the "amazing" support of his family, friends and carers.
Tomorrow, he will begin the 640km Tour de Munster bike challenge. The four-day event raises funds for Down Syndrome Ireland.
Joining him on the tour this year will be his care team, headed by Paula O'Keeffe, Bluebird Care Limerick, who first met Mr O'Dea at the National Rehabilitation Hospital.
"Conor is definitely unique. Conor was very positive, which I suppose is the most prominent thing," she said.
"When I did meet him first, he did say I am going to walk again. So I said ok, let's try that. And it's just been loads of different milestones Conor has met and surpassed. So it's great to be part of that."
Ms O'Keeffe had not cycled a bike in 15 years, but after meeting Mr O'Dea, she signed up for her first triathlon.
"He said if you do the triathlon, I'll go and see you coming in on the finish line. Now I had to learn to swim before we did it, so that was a bit of a challenge. But I said, look, if Conor can do what he can do, I can definitely manage to learn."
While dealing with his spinal injury, Mr O'Dea has inspired people to take up challenges and has raised significant funds for charities. But he wears those achievements lightly.
"I do get told that by people that I am inspirational, but I don't see it as inspirational," he said.
"As far as I'm concerned, I haven't changed. I'm the same Conor before the accident as after the accident. I'm still training, I'm just doing different training."
"I won't say it's no big deal, but that's the way I look at it. Now, if people want to take inspiration from that, perfect. But I don't look at myself in that light at all."