Roche and Kelly to support COPD cyclist in Irish stage

Roche and Kelly to support COPD cyclist Poncet in Irish stage

This Saturday sees Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche once again take to Irish roads, this time in support of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), as they ride the international stage of Le Tour BPCO (COPD Tour).

Le Tour BPCO* – sous assistance respiratoire – (COPD Tour – under respiratory assistance –) will cross part of Ireland, between Galway and Letterfrack in Connemara, on Saturday June 21st for its international stage.

Supported and endorsed by the UCI World Cycling Centre, this national and international event aims to raise awareness of COPD, the most significant lung disease in terms of volume and damage, which represents the third leading cause of death worldwide and already affects more than 440 million people worldwide. A serious condition that strikes down a very large part of the population in complete anonymity. Physical activity is the primary defense for patients facing respiratory system destruction and systemic physiological collapse.

Since a sedentary lifestyle is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, the keystone of well-being for hundreds of millions of people remains regular exercise. This Irish stage will take place with the support of Cycling Ireland, represented by President Ciaran Cannon, and will bring together, around the only COPD patient capable of cycling these distances, many special guests including former professional cycling champions Sean Kelly, Stephen Roche and Claudio Chiappucci.

Philippe Poncet, leader of the o2&Cie Urgence COPD team, lives on oxygen 24/7 and rides at the head of this peloton. He holds a unique cycling palmares: speed record, hour record, highest ascent at almost 3000 m (Stelvio Pass), longest distance covered, all under respiratory assistance (100 km).

The team members will set off from Galway for a long and difficult stage, as in such survival conditions, the slightest thing can change everything. The COPD Tour is not a bike ride but a true sporting challenge that carries a genuine health emergency alert beyond borders through the images and messages conveyed during the stages, as was the case at the WHO International Headquarters in 2024. Acting as medical advisors within the o2&Cie International team, several world-class pulmonology professors have been riding in the COPD Tour for three years, such as Sean Gaine from the Mater Misericordiae University Hospital in Dublin.

The World Health Organization Director-General's Special Envoy for Chronic Respiratory Diseases, José Luis Castro, will attend the event, highlighting the WHO's commitment to prioritizing respiratory health and raising awareness about COPD and asthma. Hildegarde Naughton, Minister of State for Children, Disability and Equality, has also scheduled the event and is expected to be present to launch the race in Galway.

For David Lappartient, UCI President: "The challenge that Philippe Poncet courageously takes on every year, accompanied by his team and the people who have come to support the cause he defends, sends a strong double message: COPD is a widespread disease that can be very disabling, but at the same time, sport in general and cycling in particular can improve the quality of life of those affected. The UCI CMC is pleased to contribute to the visibility of Philippe Poncet's initiative to raise awareness of COPD and the beneficial role of cycling in health."

The group will depart Galway on Saturday, June 21 at 9:00 a.m. and arrive in Letterfrack, Connemara National Park, around 4:00 p.m. after a journey of approximately 85 km.

Follow more of their journey here.