The late Doddie Weir’s wife and son joined former England rugby captain Lewis Moody as he set off on a 505-mile fundraising cycling challenge for research into motor neurone disease (MND).
Moody is taking on the challenge to raise money for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation which was founded by Weir, who died in November 2022 aged 52 after a six-year battle with the disease.
Moody, who last autumn revealed that he had been diagnosed with MND, set off from Newcastle Red Bulls stadium on the first leg of a seven-day ride through England to deliver the match ball for the Gallagher Prem Rugby Final between Northampton and Exeter at Twickenham.
He was joined by Doddie Weir’s wife, Kathy, one of Weir’s sons, Hamish, and his own son, Dylan, for an 80-mile leg of the journey on Sunday, with his son, Ethan, and wife, Annie, expected to take part later in the week along with other rugby stars.
Moody said: “To have the two families come together under the My Name’5 Doddie banner is wicked. Hamish is a bundle of joy to ride with – and the image of his dad – and Kathy is an absolute machine.”
He added: “It was amazing to see such a reception in Newcastle and a huge thank you to everyone who came out to support us. It means a huge amount to all of us and we hope to see as many people as possible along the route.
“There’s still a huge amount of work to be done when it comes to MND. That’s why we’re doing this ride – to raise as much money and awareness as possible.
“There’s more hope than there has ever been. Specialists quietly talk about being in a hopeful place because of the energy that Doddie brought to this fight. He wanted change and he wanted it now – and I’m exactly the same.”
Weir founded the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation in 2017 to fund research into MND.
So far the Lewis Moody XV Cycle Challenge has raised £235,000 and anyone who wishes to donate can find out more at lewismoodyxv-cyclechallenge.com or myname5doddie.com.