SIX England 2003 World Cup winners, including Lewis Moody, cycled to Villa Park to raise money for the Motor Neurone disease cause.
A group of rugby legends donned lycra and riding helmets in a head-to-head team cycle race on Saturday morning before the Ed Slater Cup between Premiership rivals Gloucester and Leicester Tigers in Birmingham.
Mike Tindall, 47, captained the Gloucester side which set out from 7.30am from the Kingsholm Stadium to the home of Unai Emery’s Villa side as quickly as possible.
The group travelled 60.7 miles, arriving at Villa Park at roughly 11:30am.
At the same time, Martin Johnson – the former Leicester captain – spearheaded a posse of cyclists from Welford Road to the Premier League ground.
They were joined in the Race To The Slater Cup by Moody – for a portion of the route – Ben Kay, Martin Corry, Phil Vickery.
Those guys were all in the dressing room when England were crowned world champions in Australia 24 years ago.
The ex-internationals were raising vital funds that will be split between Moody and his family and the charity 4Ed, which was set up by Slater, 37, after his MND diagnosis with the degenerative condition in July 2022.
Slater, who played at lock for Leicester and Gloucester, was guest of honour for the 1pm clash, which was a designated home tie for the south-west side.
Cash will go towards supporting families affected by MND, which would include adaptation to homes, days out for carers and mental health care.
Riding jerseys will also be signed and auctioned off in a bid to raise more dosh.
The rugby community was shocked to learn last October that Moody, 37, had developed Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
This is an incurable and usually life-shortening nervous system disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, causes loss of muscle control and will get worse over time.
Kay, formerly of Leicester who won 62 England caps, told SunSport: “It’s a great cause. A great bunch of lads did it.
“It was a well-represented group and as it’s Gloucester versus Lester, there was plenty of good-natured rivalry and banter.
“We will always be World Cup winners. What resonates most with us is the stuff that no-one saw.
“The training camps, stuff off-the-field that we went through together to get the glory. There is a special bond.”
To donate to The Race to the Slater Cup visit gloucesterrugbyfoundation.org/4ed/racetoslatercup/
