England rugby legend Lewis Moody has announced a 500-mile charity cycling challenge to raise funds for motor neurone disease (MND) research, following his own diagnosis with the condition. The 47-year-old World Cup winner will be joined by Kathy and Hamish Weir, the wife and son of late Scottish rugby great Doddie Weir, who died in November 2022 after a six-year battle with MND.
Moody described having the Weirs alongside him as 'incredibly poignant and powerful'. He said: 'When you get diagnosed with something like MND, you very quickly realise how important people are. This ride is about mates coming together, communities coming together, and hopefully showing people living with MND that they are not alone.'
The challenge, named Lewis XV's, will start on Sunday June 14 at Newcastle Red Bulls, the northernmost Premiership Rugby club, and finish on Saturday June 20 at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, where Moody will deliver the match ball for the Gallagher Premiership Rugby Final. A group of rugby stars will join him and the Weirs along the route to raise money for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation.
Moody, who was part of England's 2003 World Cup-winning team, emphasised the importance of continuing Doddie Weir's legacy. 'Doddie did so much to change the conversation around MND. In many ways this ride feels like continuing something he started. There's a real sense of carrying the baton forward,' he said.
Paul Thompson, director of fundraising at the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, praised Moody's efforts: 'Lewis has already inspired so many people through the way he has approached his diagnosis, and this challenge is another example of that courage and leadership. Every mile ridden and every pound raised will help us continue accelerating research towards effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for MND.'
