A 55-year-old financial adviser from County Tyrone has completed a gruelling 3,800-mile (6,115km) bicycle journey across the United States, cycling from Portland, Oregon on the Pacific coast to Portland, Maine on the Atlantic, in memory of his wife Patrina who died of breast cancer in 2017. According to BBC News, Declan Faulkner spent nearly seven weeks on the road, averaging 85 miles (137km) daily and climbing the equivalent of five-and-a-half Mount Everests in elevation gain. The journey, undertaken with his friend Donncha O'Brien from Cork, raised almost £20,000 for Charis Cancer Care, the specialist charity that supported Patrina during her illness.
Declan and Patrina had dreamed of cycling across America shortly after their marriage almost 30 years ago, when they first visited the United States. Life intervened—they settled near Patrina's home village of Ballygawley, built careers, raised four children, and then Patrina received a diagnosis of breast cancer. She died in April 2017, but the unfulfilled journey remained in Declan's mind. During her illness, he discovered that endurance sports provided crucial mental support, spending time running and cycling in the Mourne mountains to process the strain of her treatment.
According to Charis Cancer Care, Declan and Patrina had both received reflexology and mindfulness sessions at the charity during her treatment for secondary breast cancer, and he said the support and social contact helped them both through that period. The experience left a lasting impression on Declan, who worked as an international mountain leader and biking and hiking guide for Wilderness Ireland before taking a career break to undertake the American cycle.
Ten years after Patrina's death, with their children grown, Declan decided the time had come to fulfil their shared dream. He explained his motivation:
I'd remembered talking to Patrina about this idea I had in my head of going back to America and cycling coast to coast. Ten years had passed since she died and the kids have grown up, and I just thought wouldn't it be great to see America on two wheels with the memory of Patrina on my shoulder along the way.
Donncha O'Brien, whom Declan had met on a cycling trip in Kerry years earlier, joined him for the expedition. The pair spent 43 days actively cycling, with some days stretching to 120 miles (193km). Declan reflected on the physical toll:
There were days when you felt like your body was just shutting down and you were sore all over, because we were spending sometimes 10 hours a day on the bikes without a break.According to the charity's planning notes, the original schedule called for about 100 miles per day with a rest day every sixth day, though the actual pace varied considerably.
What were the journey's most memorable moments?
The route took the cyclists through some of North America's most dramatic landscapes, including the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming and along the Great Lakes. Declan described several standout experiences that punctuated the gruelling weeks on the road.
Cycling into Devil's Tower National Park in Wyoming proved particularly special. He recalled:
Cycling into Devil's Tower, Wyoming, which I think was one of the first national parks inaugurated in 1906 and it's just this big volcanic plug - we cycled there on a beautiful day. Seeing that for the first time was special.The autumn colours of Vermont also left an impression, as did an unexpected encounter with nature's raw power.
And we cycled through this amazing lightning storm in upstate New York in the dark, with the lightning strikes just lighting up the whole place.
What were the hardest parts of the ride?
Not every day brought scenic beauty or exhilaration. The journey tested Declan's physical and mental resilience repeatedly, with weather and terrain presenting formidable obstacles.
The most challenging stretch came in South Dakota, where Declan encountered the strongest winds of his life.
Cycling through the strongest winds I've ever experienced in South Dakota was probably the toughest. Leaving South Dakota Badlands National Park we actually ran out of water and my sugar levels just dropped and I nearly fell of my bike a number of times, I was just exhausted.During these difficult moments, Declan drew strength from thinking of Patrina and other cancer patients.
When things got tough throughout the journey, I just had Patrina's voice in my head and I dug deep thinking about what she and other cancer patients go through.
How did the journey end?
Reaching the Atlantic Ocean marked the culmination of the cross-country effort. Declan described the final miles as surreal, the last 20 miles passing in a blur of emotion and anticipation.
Our final destination was this beach right on the Atlantic Ocean, and the last 20 miles to it just went in a flash, and taking the bikes down to the water on that last day was totally surreal.
The emotional weight of the achievement struck him fully that evening.
I wasn't overly emotional until that evening when a friend sent me a picture of Patrina and I from 30 years ago when we were at a party at college. That just brought the tears because I was looking at that picture and felt like she was with me the entire way.
Why did Declan choose to fundraise for Charis Cancer Care?
The charity that supported Patrina during her illness became the natural beneficiary of Declan's fundraising efforts. Charis Cancer Care operates a specialist centre on the banks of Lough Fea in County Tyrone, just outside Cookstown, in the foothills of the Sperrin Mountains. The centre provides free emotional, physical and practical support to people with cancer and their families.
Declan's choice to support the organisation reflected its profound impact on his family during Patrina's treatment. According to the charity, his cousin Donal Convery, who died of cancer in 2024, had also attended Charis and advocated strongly for its work. The nearly £20,000 raised through the cycle will help the centre continue serving its clients—approximately 1,400 people annually access its services.
Arlene McAvoy from Charis Cancer Care praised Declan's achievement and its ripple effects:
With Declan doing this cycle in Patrina's memory and raising awareness, it's just amazing what he has achieved. Each year we have about 1,400 people who come to our centre. It's not just for the person who is going through cancer, but it's also for their families and carers as well, and I know this was a special place for Declan also.
How is Declan adjusting to life after the ride?
Returning to ordinary life after seven weeks of constant cycling has required mental readjustment. The rhythm of the road—checking tyres, greasing pedals, charging lights—had become second nature, and the transition back to stationary life feels strange.
Yet Declan has found perspective in the accomplishment.
You wake up thinking: Have I pumped the tyres? Have I greased the pedals? Are the lights charged? It's mad because you've been in that cycling bubble for so long. But now that I'm looking back on it, I am very proud, and I do think about what Patrina would think. She'd probably laugh and say: 'You're not wise' - but I know she'd be proud too.
Key Facts
- Declan cycled 3,800 miles (6,115km) from Portland, Oregon to Portland, Maine in nearly seven weeks, averaging 85 miles (137km) daily
- He climbed 45,000 metres of elevation—equivalent to five-and-a-half Mount Everests—across the United States
- The journey raised almost £20,000 for Charis Cancer Care, which supported his wife Patrina during her breast cancer treatment and now serves approximately 1,400 people annually
- Declan was accompanied by his friend Donncha O'Brien from Cork, and the pair spent 43 days actively cycling with some days reaching 120 miles (193km)
- Patrina died in April 2017, ten years before Declan undertook the cross-country cycle in her memory
