England rugby legend Lewis Moody will do a 500-mile charity cycling challenge for research into motor neurone disease (MND) following his own devastating diagnosis.
The World Cup winner will be joined by the wife and son of Scottish rugby great Doddie Weir who died in November 2022 aged 52 after a six-year battle with the disease. Lewis, 47, said having Kathy and Hamish Weir ride alongside him on the seven-day charity ride will be “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.
View 4 ImagesLewis is launching his own charity challenge for MND(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“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. Doddie inspired people because he faced this disease head on with unbelievable courage, humour and determination.”
Lewis was part of the England team that lifted the 2003 World Cup, and he won the final line-out in the phase of play which led to Jonny Wilkinson’s last ditch winning drop goal.
MND is a rare, progressive, and terminal neurological condition that attacks the nerves in the brain and spinal cord. As these motor neurones degrade, messages stop reaching muscles, causing them to weaken and waste over time. While all the senses and cognitive ability remain throughout the illness, MND patients eventually lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, drink and breathe.
View 4 ImagesLewis in his playing days(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
The Lewis XV’s challenge will begin on Sunday June 14 at the northernmost Prem Rugby club, Newcastle Red Bulls, and will end at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham, south-west London, on Saturday June 20 to deliver the match ball for the Gallagher Prem Rugby Final.
Moody and Kathy and Hamish Weir will be joined by a group of rugby stars during the challenge to raise money for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation
Lewis added: “When you see Kathy and Hamish there beside you, it’s impossible not to feel extra motivation. This ride is about raising money, of course, but it’s also about showing the MND community that we’re still fighting, still driving awareness, and still refusing to accept that this disease cannot be beaten.”
View 4 ImagesDoddie Weir led the way for MND awareness(Image: Handout)
“This disease affects families everywhere and we need people to rally behind the MND community in the same way rugby people always rally behind each other. If people can donate, come out and support us along the route, or simply help spread the word, it genuinely makes a difference. We want this to feel like something the whole rugby community is part of.”
It comes after rugby league stars and former Leeds Rhinos teammates Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield raised money for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation. Following Rob’s 2019 MND diagnosis, lifelong friend Kevin launched massive endurance challenges. Rob passed away in June 2024.
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Paul Thompson, director of fundraising at the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, said: “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.
“This is about much more than rugby. It’s about friendship, family, resilience and communities coming together behind a common cause. Every mile ridden and every pound raised will help us continue accelerating research towards effective treatments and, ultimately, a cure for MND.”