Cycle raises funds for motor neuron disease charity.

Rome will welcome more than 100 cyclists from various European cities, including Edinburgh, as they arrive in Piazza Navona on Friday 8 March at 17.00.

The bike ride fundraiser has been organised by Scottish charity association My Name’5 Doddie in conjunction with the Six Nations rugby match between Italy and Scotland being played on Saturday in Rome’s Stadio Olimpico.

My Name’5 Doddie was founded by Scottish rugby legend Doddie Weir, who died in 2022 after a five-year battle with motor neuron disease (MND). 

The fundraising cycle to the Italian capital forms part of the charity’s wider All Roads Lead to Rome campaign, with more than 50,000 participants expected to take part throughout the year.

A Scottish team left Edinburgh last week, comprising a group of seven friends led by Davy Żyw, an importer of Italian wines in Scotland, who was diagnosed with MND five years ago aged 30.

The cyclists making the 2,700-km journey were brought together by a mutual drive of raising vital funds and awareness of this degenerative, incurable disease.

My Name’5 Doddie has already raised over £11 million to support research projects and treatments – and ultimately work towards finding a cure.

Photo My Name’5 Doddie