Our team in America is getting ready for the Great American Cycle #2. The route is set, the posters and brochures are ready to be downloaded and distributed by anyone who wants to help from the events site on http://www.ansaol.ie. Meetings are being arranged, cycling clubs are getting ready to join us, and today, our promoter in Hollywood contacted one of the local bands playing in the desert (see last Thursday’s posting) whether they would support us.

With a bit of luck we could be sent off from the desert, right beside the Joshua Tree National Park, onto our €1.5m fundraising trip. Would a feeling that would be like!

There are two ways for Pádraig to transfer from his chair into bed, manual or using the hoist. For the first time, today he said he preferred the manual transfer. It’s significant because the manual transfer involves an effort and some level of control on his part, while the transfer using the hoist is almost complete passive. Pádraig had an option and he took a decision.