63-year-old Gerard McLarnon from Randalstown, County Antrim, has successfully completed the 2022 Etape Loch Ness after a long battle with Covid-19 which saw him hospitalised for 70 days, 57 of which in ICU and 40 days on a ventilator. It left him having to learn how to walk, talk and swallow again.
Gerard was in hospital longer than most patients admitted with Covid in Northern Ireland during the pandemic. Completing the Etape Loch Ness this weekend was an immense achievement not just for Gerard but also for the Creggan Wheelers, the cycle club in Randalstown that has played such a big part in his recovery.
The Etape Loch Ness is a 66-mile (106km) cyclosportive held on fully closed roads around the stunning shores of iconic Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. Starting and finishing in the historic Highland capital of Inverness, riders can enjoy cycling on traffic-free roads on a 360° route alongside the loch taking in some of the country’s most stunning scenery.
Speaking about completing the 66-mile cycle sportive, Gerard said:
“This is a really emotional day for me. I had planned to do the Etape Loch Ness along with my fellow riders in Creggan Wheelers back in 2020 and had been training for it. Then I was admitted to hospital on March 31st where I was to remain for 70 days. I firmly believe that training for the Etape in 2020 saved my life. Had I not had that level of fitness to fight Covid, it would have been a different story.”
Gerard’s younger brothers John and Dominic joined him for the Etape, part of the team of 14 from the Creggan Wheelers. John picks up the story:
“There were many times when Gerard was in hospital in Belfast that we were told he wasn’t going to make it, so to see him complete the Etape today is absolutely incredible.”
Gerard completed the 66-mile cycle, which starts and finishes in Inverness and takes riders along the iconic Loch Ness, in 06:09:15. The event organisers arranged for him to have regular oxygen along the route which he carried on his back.
Gerard explains:
“Although I am pretty much back to normal, I do still need oxygen for intense physical activity like cycling. I am grateful to the organisers for assisting me and I am indebted to and proud of my fellow Creggan Wheelers who stuck by me today, as they have over the last two years. We set out together and we finished together. It is this team spirit and a healthy dose of sheer bloody mindedness that has got me through!”
Gerard, a father of three and grandfather of four, returns home to his beloved wife Kathleen. When asked about his next challenge, he said:
“This was the big one for me and it shows how far I have come. The final stage of recovery will be losing the oxygen supply – that is my next goal, but I know I have to be patient.”
VIDEO BELOW: Gerard’s clubmates from ‘out the road’ Creggan Kickhams GAC and Creggan Wheelers Cycling Club welcoming him home and he got a rousing reception when he and his wife Kathleen came out to thank all those who had supported them through the very difficult time as he battled Covid.
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