Kenny Logan to lead celebrities on 555-mile cycle around Ireland to raise €500,000 for MND research

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The challenge which begins this Sunday will set off from Belfast and end in Dublin

Scottish rugby great Kenny Logan will lead a 555-mile cycle around Ireland in memory of his late friend and teammate Doddie Weir.

Mr Weir died in November 2022, aged 52, after being diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease in 2016. In his final years, he campaigned widely for MND research and awareness.

The challenge, which begins this Sunday, will see Logan joined by more than 50 fundraisers, celebrities and former players for a week-long charity endurance ride known as Doddie's Lions Challenge.

So far, £300,000 has been raised. The aim is to reach over £500,000 (around €600,000) for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation and the Irish Motor Neurone Disease Association.

Among those taking part are broadcaster Gabby Logan, actor Jamie Bamber, former Ireland A and Harlequins player Mel Deane, and cancer campaigner Iain Ward - known as the 'King of Chemo'.

Doddie Weir's son, Hamish, is also involved. He had planned to cycle the route but will now drive a support vehicle after picking up an injury during a recent rugby sevens tournament.

The six-day cycle will cover around 100 miles a day. The route will include rugby towns such as Emyvale, Westport, Galway, Limerick, Cork, Waterford and Wicklow, with stops at the home clubs of famous Irish Lions players.

The challenge will end at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin, where the team will deliver the match ball ahead of the British & Irish Lions' 1888 Cup match against Argentina on Friday, June 20.

Speaking about training for the challenge, Logan said he was "nervous about the hills." He added: "I convinced myself Ireland was flat - it's definitely not. But nerves are good. I've always had them before a big challenge, and it means I care."

Training has included tough hill sessions on an exercise bike, with Logan now cycling 60 to 70 kilometres twice a week as he builds towards the 100km mark. His wife Gabby and friends have joined him for some of the sessions.

This is Logan's second major endurance fundraiser for MND research, following the success of 2023's Edinburgh-to-Paris cycle, which raised almost £1 million.

The former rugby star said that while a lot has already been raised, continued fundraising is vital for research, adding that "every penny counts."

All funds raised will support the Foundation's work to find better treatments and to find a cure for motor neuron disease.

He said, "The support's been incredible. We've still got time to push, and every penny counts. Since Doddie died, awareness has grown massively - but we still need to fund research.

"The Foundation has committed nearly £20 million already, which is phenomenal, but it's only the beginning.

"Doddie would be proud - but he'd be telling us to go further and faster. That's why we're doing this."