Doddie Weir: Internationals get on their bikes for Scotland rugby legend

Scotland rugby legend Doddie Weir will again be an integral part of the build-up to Six Nations clash with Wales on Saturday.

The Doddie Weir Cup was created in 2018 for matches held between Scotland and Wales in honour of the Scotland and British and Irish Lions international lock, who is suffering from motor neurone disease (MND).

Groups of four cyclists, including a host of former rugby internationals, will cycle from Murrayfield to the Principality Stadium for this year's Six Nations clash.

The teams will leave Edinburgh on Thursday, February 10 at 10:00 GMT and aim to reach Cardiff in time on Saturday to deliver the match ball for kick-off.

The cycling groups will cover 515 miles in 48 hours, stopping at rugby clubs along the way and using a relay system to share the load and raise funds for the 'My Name'5 Doddie Foundation'.

Ex-Wales internationals Alix Popham, Colin Charvis, Ian Gough and Tony Copsey will form Team Dragons.

Popham, 42, organised the quartet of former Welsh forwards after being asked by former Scotland and Lions back row Rob Wainwright.

The ex-Wales flanker, who has been diagnosed with early onset dementia after suffering multiple concussions during his career, will have the honour of riding first in tricky conditions.

"I have been sent the picture of leaving Edinburgh and it's 47mph winds going to hit us for the first few hours and I am starting off," said Popham, who made 33 international appearances.

"Doddie is an amazing man and rugby player. I met him first in 1997 on a flight to South Africa when he was returning to the country after originally coming home injured from the Lions tour.

"We were on a Welsh Colleges tour and he sat with us for hours and he was happy to spend time with some boys who looked up to him."

Charvis, 49, has previously been involved in fundraising events for South African World Cup-winning scrum-half Joost van der Westhuizen, who died five years ago from MND.

"I have done relay events before and they are just as tiring as when you do an all-day event," said Charvis, who played 94 times for Wales.

"There is the bit where we turn off and come through Wales which is going to be pretty tough.

"It is for a great cause. This is going to be Doddie's legacy and the charity can keep going from strength to strength.

"He is at the forefront of things and he can inspire us when we go up those hills."

Copsey, 57, had battles with Weir on the field for Wales against Scotland.

"Everybody knows what a great player Doddie was," said Copsey, who made 16 international appearances.

"I was fortunate to play against him for the first time in 1992 in the Five Nations and had a few games after that against the fella.

"He is a wonderful ambassador for our sport and a great guy.

"Anybody who has come across motor neurone disease will know what an horrific disease it is and the huge effect it has on individuals and their families."

Gough, 45, played 64 internationals for Wales.

"I like an adventure but the challenge of being in Scotland in February in lycra was not something I was prepared for," said Gough.

"There will be some fun and games along the way in Scotland and northern England until we get back into sunny Wales.

"Doddie is a fantastic player and guy and this is where the rugby community comes together."

Dragons director of rugby Dean Ryan will be part of the four-strong 'Melrose Falcons, external' alongside Scottish internationals Carl Hogg, Craig Gilroy and Duncan Hodge.

"I've done some training, but whether it's enough we shall see, my biggest fear is cold and riding at night," said Ryan.

"There's nothing that prepares you for that. We are stopping at several rugby clubs, although I think stop is grab a bit of food and keep moving.

"Let's hope we can stay together because following a bicycle GPS in the middle of the night is going to be interesting. You get a great camaraderie with everybody and everybody's going through that same thing.

"I'm looking forward to it in a weird way and getting involved in an event which is a fantastic cause and a great testimony to a good friend of mine who's been incredibly brave during this period and raised a huge amount of money."

Ryan won the English Premiership title alongside lock Weir at Newcastle Falcons in 1998.

"Doddie is daft as a brush, but his real character has come out in the adversity he faces with what is an horrific disease," added Ryan.

"I don't think anybody knows how they would behave in those situations.

"To watch how driven he is, in terms of raising awareness, how targeted that money is, at the same time as the challenges he has to face within his own life and his family - everybody admires that resolve and the good that it's done, when he's facing such a difficult time."