Rugby legends are cycling for charity, with 16 former international stars set to saddle up for a 500-mile challenge in aid of the motor neurone disease charity founded by the late Doddie Weir.
Former England and British & Irish Lions flanker Lewis Moody has assembled a line-up that reads like a who’s who of the professional era, including World Cup winners Jonny Wilkinson, Phil Vickery, Mike Tindall and Ben Kay. The full roster also features Martin Corry, Kenny Logan, Tom Croft, Geordan Murphy, Leon Lloyd, Ben Youngs, Tom Youngs, Lee Mears, Danny Care, Dan Hipkiss, Andy Gomarsall and Louis Deacon.
The ride will raise money for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, the charity Weir established after his own diagnosis with MND in 2016. The former Scotland international, who died from the disease in 2022, became a prominent campaigner for research funding and patient support. His foundation now plays a central role in coordinating research efforts and funding clinical trials.
A disease that devastates at speed
Motor neurone disease is a fatal, rapidly progressing neurological condition that attacks the nerves controlling movement. It causes muscle weakness, wasting and eventual paralysis, along with breathing difficulties. Crucially, mental faculties and senses are typically unaffected, meaning individuals remain fully aware of their deteriorating condition.
According to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, six people are diagnosed with MND every day in the UK, and around 5,000 adults are living with the condition at any one time. It can affect adults of any age, though the majority of diagnoses occur in people over 50. Men are at a higher risk than women. The prognosis is stark: there is currently no cure, and the disease is always fatal. A third of those diagnosed die within a year, and more than half within two years.
The UK MND Research Institute, a national network of centres, is coordinating efforts to understand the causes of the disease, develop treatments and run clinical trials. The UK government has pledged £50 million over five years for MND research, with a substantial portion already released. Despite this progress, researchers say there remains an urgent need for effective treatments.
The rugby community has been heavily impacted by MND, with a number of former players diagnosed with the condition over the past decade. This has driven a wave of fundraising events and awareness campaigns within the sport, many of which have drawn on the same deep well of camaraderie that Moody’s ride now taps into. The 500-mile cycle is a significant physical undertaking, and the participation of so many high-profile former players underlines both the urgency of the cause and their commitment to Weir’s legacy.
Many of the riders have transitioned into media careers as pundits and commentators, while others have moved into coaching or management. Some, like Leon Lloyd and Tom Youngs, have pursued further education or business ventures since retiring from the game. Mike Tindall, who is married to Zara Tindall, is also a member of the British Royal Family. But for the duration of the ride, they will be united by a single goal: raising money for research into a disease that remains one of the most devastating in medicine.