I am taking part in the Great Rugby Cycle 2021 which will cover over 1,000 miles around Ireland.

Doddie Weir is one of rugby’s most notable personalities who in June 2017 revealed he was suffering from Motor Neurone Disease (MND). From the outset, Doddie has been driven to help fellow sufferers and seek ways to further research into this, as yet, incurable disease. In November 2017 Doddie and his Trustees launched the registered charity My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, its aims are to raise funds to aid research into the causes of MND and investigate potential cures, and to make grants to individuals suffering from MND to enable them to live as fulfilled a life as possible.

As a Leeds lad I have seen the impact that MND has had on two of the city's greatest sporting icons; former Leeds United & England football manager Don Revie who was diagnosed with MND in 1987 and died in 1989, and Leeds Rhinos & England rugby league legend Rob Burrow who is currently living with the disease, having been diagnosed in 2019.

Colm Davis OBE, 62, a former head teacher of a special school in Belfast, was diagnosed with MND in 2016 and sadly passed away in January 2021 leaving behind his wife Vic and children Victoria, Colm and Amy. Colm used his experience of living with MND for tireless fundraising and raising awareness for MND; a disease which affects 1 in 300 of the population.

Colm was a Leeds United fan "from birth" and passed on that love to his son Colm Jnr, 27, travelling together to watch Leeds many times each season. The evening before Colm passed away, he was able to watch Leeds one final time with his son, a match that Leeds won 2-1.

Like Colm and most other football & rugby fans, I also went to my first football match with my father, who sadly passed away in 1994 when I was just 23.

 In August 2017, when travelling to watch Leeds I was hit by a car in London which had mounted the pavement, the impact of which instantly sliced off the lower part of my right leg at the roadsde. I then spent 2 months in hospital during which time I had 10 operations to rebuild and strengthen my leg. After many more months of physio and rehab, I learnt to walk again using a prosthetic leg and was then able to return home in April 2018, over 8 months after setting off for the football match.

I started cycling in early 2020 as part of my rehab, and I bought my first road bike for over 35 years last summer. After being inspired by the efforts of other fundraisers such as the racing driver Billy Monger, who lost both his legs in a racing crash, and former rugby league player Kevin Sinfield, I am joining over 30 others on The Great Rugby Cycle 2021 starting on 1st July with the aim of raising as much funds as possible for Doddie's (MND) Foundation in memory of Colm, and in tribute to Doddie & Rob's continuous fundraising efforts whilst they are living with this disease.

This cycle around Ireland is an immense challenge for all of us, and especially for me, and to put it into perspective - the total distance we are due to ride is around the same as professional cyclists are riding during the first 10 days of this year's Tour de France. All partcipants of this cycle are funding the trip themselves, thus ensuring 100% of funds raised are donated to the charity. If you are able to make a donation - and share details of this event with others - then a huge thank you from myself and from all the other partcipants, and THANK YOU from Doddie!