Former England rugby captain Lewis Moody has announced plans to lead a 500-mile, seven-day cycling challenge this summer to raise funds for motor neurone disease (MND) research, saying he is 'picking up the baton' left by the late Doddie Weir.
Moody, who revealed his own MND diagnosis last October, will be joined by fellow 2003 World Cup winners Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Tindall and Ben Kay, as well as his teenage sons, on a journey from Newcastle to Twickenham. All proceeds will go to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which has raised over £23.5 million for MND research.
The ride begins on Sunday 14 June at Newcastle, where Weir played for seven years, and continues through Leicester, Bath and Bracknell before concluding at Twickenham on Saturday 20 June, where Moody will deliver the match ball for the Premiership final.
Moody, a former Leicester, Bath and British & Irish Lions forward, said he feels a 'strange privilege' in having a clear vision for his time now, focusing on loved ones and purposeful activities. He remains positive about developments in fighting the disease, which results in six new diagnoses daily in the UK.
