Sean completes ROK cycle after stolen bike is returned

IF ever you needed proof that horrible stories can in fact have a happy ending, then ask Kilfynn man Sean Marshall who successfully completed Saturday’s Ring of Kerry cycle when his bike that was stolen a week before the event was found and returned to him.

Sean was cycling on behalf of the Irish Kidney Association, having himself undergone a life-saving bone marrow transplant in 2009 when doctors gave him just eight months to live.

He had been training for the event - his third Ring of Kerry cycle - for months, but was left disgusted last Sunday week when he discovered his bike had been stolen. He appealed for its return on social media and in The Kerryman, and low and behold, a phonecall a few days later had the news he had been waiting for.

“A friend of a friend had seen my appeal and rang me up to say he had found what he thought was my bike just abandoned in a park in Tralee,” Sean explained. “He brought it home just in case and when I called to see if it was mine, I couldn’t believe it.”

Sean successfully completed the Ring of Kerry Cycle on Saturday after a gruelling seven and a half hours on the saddle, but said it would not have been possible without the help of those who saw his appeal.

“People were just fabulous and I can’t thank everyone enough for their support, for spreading the message and to everyone who offered me bikes so that I could take part. It was just amazing.”

A delighted Sean Marshall with his bike just after it was found