a cancer-fighting ride in honor of bill brady

Leave It On The Road is proud to present another epic cancer-fighting ride. Beginning Sunday August 6, 2017 six riders will ride 1000 miles in 10 days around Ireland in honor of Conor Brady’s father Bill, who lost his battle with pancreatic cancer in 2013. Bill’s racing career evolved into a love for multi-day rides, the most ambitious of which he called The Big Lap. We are honored to recreate this ride with Conor and share the story with you on Instagram.

In Conor’s words:

My father was my cycling inspiration, and also my coach when I raced. A rider who started racing velodromes on a beautiful bronze Mercier, and followed the Giro religiously every year until he passed. He was the one who first put me on a saddle, bought me my first pair of leather racing shoes in Palma, Majorca and had his hand on my back all through my racing days when things got tough. After he finished racing his love for riding turned to multi-day rides, the most ambitious being what he called “The Big Lap”, where he loved the solitude of being “out on the road” and the escape from “The Troubles” in the North where we grew up.

Every year in August he would wheel his Holdsworth out the front door, panniers loaded and a tent strapped to the top, to begin a two week ride that hugged the coast of Ireland. Often not the most logical or direct route, it was one where he always kept the sea on his left, and hopefully the wind in his back, chasing through the small villages of Ireland on the B-Roads. I pieced most of that original route together from his old OS maps, and sections that I did with him when we were still able to ride together. Heading down through the busy resort towns of the east coast and the Irish Sea. Along the sailing communities of the south and the Celtic Sea. Up the rugged west coast and the Great Atlantic Way, and the last leg home along the historic northern coast on the roads I used to train on.

I have never done The Big Lap, but if ever there was a time it's now. There is no better group than the Leave It On The Road crew to share these roads with. Man, he would have loved to have hooked onto the back of this group.

The 2017 leave it on the road edition speedvagens

To commemorate the event we have created two custom LIOTR edition Speedvagen racing machines. And what we do would not be possible without the support of our sponsors: Speedvagen, Rapha, Specialized, Mettle Cycling, Silca, Wahoo, Knog, Otto Lock and Rip van Waffles.

meet the 2017 Leave It on the road Riders

Watch the recap video!

Donations, raffle tickets and products may be purchased in our store with all proceeds benefitting the Hirshberg Foundation. Founded in 1997, the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research is a national, nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing pancreatic cancer research, and providing information, resources, and support to pancreatic cancer patients and their families.