Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Lewis Moody was the guest of honour at England's win over Australia at Allianz Stadium in November
ByMike HensonBBC Sport rugby union news reporter- Published1 hour ago
Former England captain Lewis Moody says he feels as though he has been "brought off the bench" in the search for a cure for motor neurone disease (MND) as he announces a seven-day cycling challenge in aid of the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation.
Moody, 47, was diagnosed with MND in September.
Accompanied by former team-mates, including members of the 2003 Rugby World Cup-winning squad, he will make a 500-mile trip, starting in Newcastle and ending in Twickenham, to deliver the match ball for the Prem final on 20 June.
"I feel that I am being brought off the bench to take that baton forward and trying to get this job done," said Moody.
"Whether that is in my lifetime or not, I very much intend to give my energy and time to a cause that's worthwhile and one I genuinely believe will produce outcomes."
Doddie Weir, the former Scotland second row, died from MND in November 2022, and six people every day in the UK discover they have the degenerative muscle-wasting illness.
The My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, set up by Weir in 2017, has so far raised £23.5m towards research into treatment.
Moody, who was diagnosed after noticing a weakness in his shoulder while training in the gym, says the progression of his disease seems gradual.
"I'm good at the moment," he said.
"The only sort of significant noticeable change is still in my hand. The shoulder strength is diminished, but not significantly reduced since diagnosis.
"Without a shadow of a doubt, the hardest thing is noticing little things every day. The other day I noticed a slight difference in my finger strength - whether it was opening a bottle top, holding a fork, cutting your food.
"Those little things mentally are a challenge when they present themselves, but I think within a day you can move past it and just focus on functional things I can do, rather than things that I'm less able to."
Moody, who set up his own charitable foundation shortly after he retired and raised millions of pounds to fund research into brain tumours,, external says recruiting for June's cycle and a new cause was straightforward.
Jonny Wilkinson, Mike Tindall, Martin Corry, Ben Kay, Phil Vickery and Andy Gomarsall - all fellow members of the squad that won England's only Rugby World Cup - will take part in the ride, along with the ex-Leicester and Bath flanker's former team-mates Tom Croft, Geordan Murphy, Leon Lloyd, Ben Youngs, Tom Youngs, Lee Mears, Danny Care, Dan Hipkiss and Louis Deacon.
Moody's teenage sons Dylan and Ethan will also be part of the peloton.
"I have done a challenge every year since retiring, some years more than one," said Moody.
"I really wanted to make sure that I got another one in. I don't know how many I have got left to do so that was the reason for it being so soon, to make sure that physically I feel like I can contribute.
"I couldn't be more grateful of my former colleagues. I chatted to Vicks [Vickery] the other day, he said 'mate, I absolutely hate cycling, but I am 100% going to do this with you'.
"I've never seen Wilko [Wilkinson] on a bike. He's probably hired a group of people to get him ready for the conditioning side of it. I dread to think how he's going to turn up looking. He's in unbelievable nick anyway."
Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Moody won 71 caps for England and toured with the British and Irish Lions during his playing career
Moody says he has had to learn to temper some of the full-throttle effort he brought to the rugby pitch.
He was part of a team of former Leicester players who raced their Gloucester counterparts to Villa Park in Birmingham last month before the clubs' match in honour of Ed Slater, who represented both and is living with MND.
"There is a weird sort of satisfaction that comes from discomfort, but I have to be more mindful of that stuff now," said Moody.
"With MND, the specialists were cautious: be wary of extreme exertion, you will fatigue quickly, you'll be more tired, look after yourself, all that type of stuff.
"There are different boundaries in place for me now.
"Johnno [former Leicester and England captain Martin Johnson] was fantastic when we did the Ed Slater ride, being really aware and seeing the level of fatigue that hit me as we were going along, and being able to say, 'mate, it's OK, take a rest'."
As well as training for the event, Moody is also leading a search for sponsors for the event.
"The old competitive, fighting spirit has languished away from the spotlight for a while but this little platform has given my teeth a little bit more sharpness and readiness to get stuck in, which I am quite excited about," he said.
The route
Day 1 – Sunday, 14 June: Newcastle Red Bulls (Kingston Park) to Ripon (70 miles)
Day 2 – Monday, 15 June: Ripon to Worksop (87 miles)
Day 3 – Tuesday, 16 June: Worksop to Oakham School to Leicester Tigers (80 miles)
Day 4 – Wednesday, 17 June: Leicester Tigers to Worcester Warriors (75 miles)
Day 5 – Thursday, 18 June: Worcester Warriors to Bath RFC (80 miles)
Day 6 – Friday, 19 June: Bath RFC to Bracknell RFC (89 miles)
Day 7 – Saturday, 20 June: Bracknell RFC to Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (25 miles)
