Biker News from the Emerald Isle:

[BaZa®]

Mother Road hosts Irish cyclists' fundraiser

October 5, 2006

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TULSA, OK -- Sporting green Route 66 patches and Irish accents thicker than Guinness beer, a jolly convoy of motorcycle riders from the Emerald Isle stopped for a spell Wednesday in Tulsa.

Tony Toner, one of 66 riders traveling Route 66 from Chicago to the Pacific Ocean to raise money for a children's hospital in Dublin, said, "The response is just magical."

This is the third time the group, known as the Irish 66'ers, has made the trip down the Mother Road since 2002. So far this year, they've raised more than $1 million for the Temple Street Children's University Hospital.

The goal is to raise the money to buy a computerized tomography scanner for the hospital, which relies heavily on donations to buy new technology. Each rider had to raise about $6,500 to join the cross-country motorcycle ride and fundraiser.

Cruising Route 66 the majority of the time, the group flies Irish and American flags on their bikes. At each stop, somebody invariably asks what they are doing. Most of the time, when people learn about the purpose, they reach for their wallets.

"We've been waving to everybody passing by -- dead possums, raccoons -- everybody," Toner joked outside the 5 & Diner at 3637 S. Memorial Drive. They ate lunch at the diner, took a look around the Harley-Davidson store next door, and then hit the road.

They rented the 66 motorcycles in Chicago. Most of them are Harley-Davidsons, but a few Hondas and BMWs are in the mix.

"To do Route 66, you have to be on a Harley Davidson," said Joe McConville of Meath, Ireland. "It's eight days, eight states and three time zones."



Some of the motorcycles have two riders, and a pace vehicle follows the group. Making the ride are two Irish celebrities, soap opera actor David Mitchell and broadcast personality Jenny Huston.

The riders cover 300 to 450 miles a day. They left Chicago on Monday and plan to arrive in Santa Monica, Calif., early next week.

"Ireland is not that big, so it's really great to be able to ride three and four hundred miles a day," Derek Keenan said.

Ireland is roughly 150 miles wide and 300 miles long.

The heat in the United States is taking a toll on the riders. They're used to the mild weather in Ireland, where the temperature seldom reaches the 80s.

Keenan said there's a sense of freedom in exploring the United States from the seat of a motorcycle.

"It's the people. It's the places," he said. "It's the weather, the good and the bad. It's been brilliant."

After staying overnight Wednesday in Oklahoma City, the group plans to take Route 66 across western Oklahoma and into New Mexico.



"There's a lot to see from this point onward," said Aisling Ni Dhoibhilin of Dublin.

The Grand Canyon and the Painted Desert in Arizona are must-sees for the group, she said.

Toner's motorcycle is carrying a satellite tracking device that pinpoints the bike's location in real time along the route. Follow along online at
www.route66.ie.

[magick]

nice one Baza