Thank you

Last Sunday saw the sudden and tragic death of Tonya McEvoy, who joined Orwell less than a year ago but left a lasting impression with her passion and joy on the bike. Over the last week, we have been inundated with messages of support and expressions of sympathy from clubs and individuals in the cycling community and beyond.

Last Sunday saw the sudden and tragic death of Tonya McEvoy, who joined Orwell less than a year ago but left a lasting impression with her passion and joy on the bike. Over the last week, we have been inundated with messages of support and expressions of sympathy from clubs and individuals in the cycling community and beyond.

While nothing will overcome the pain of the loss for us or for her family, it has been a comfort to know that she has been in the thoughts and prayers of so many. Thank you to everyone who has reached out either privately and publicly to our members or to the club as a whole. There have been too many messages to name everyone, or even to count, but we hope you know that they are all acknowledged and treasured.

It was one of the saddest days in the club’s history, but as Tonya’s father remarked, it is uplifting to know there are so many caring, compassionate people willing to help or support those in need.

We were immensely proud of the Orwell turnout for the guard of honour to support Tonya’s family and their own clubmates, and hope it was some comfort to them.

We were also overwhelmed to see so many members of other cycling clubs from all over Dublin, Kildare, Wexford and beyond, as well as representatives from Cycling Leinster and Cycling Ireland. Your presence was greatly appreciated, and helped remind us that the cycling community is really one big family.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you to you all.