The John Ryan Regeneration Tour is making an Irish connection. Six Whistlerites are leaving for a mountain bike tour of the Republic of Ireland on June 1 and will be using their tour to raise money for Ryan’s Regeneration Tour, starting tonight (May 28). The Dubh Linn Gate is hosting a send-off for the Whistler-Ireland Friendship Mountain Bike Tour, starting at 7:30 tonight. Dave and Bob Beattie, Shaun and Patrick Parker, Sandy Ryan and Gerry Dick will be selling raffle tickets for a variety of donated prizes, with proceeds going to John Ryan’s cross-Canada tour in support of spinal cord regeneration research. John Reynolds will take the stage about 9 p.m. to provide live music for the evening. In Ireland the Whistler riders will be embarking on their own three-week tour of the taps, establishing sister pub relationships with some of Ireland’s legendary wateringholes. The Guinness family, in addition to providing the national drink of Ireland, have an interest in the Dubh Linn Gate and connections with most Irish pubs, so the Whistler riders will be extending the Whistler-Ireland bond. They also hope to solicit some donations from Irish pubs for John Ryan’s Regeneration Tour, in addition to the corporate and private donations they’ve already received. "We were going to do the tour anyway, so we decided to try and help John out," said Dave Beattie.
