On the 12th February 2010, I will be cycling from Rome to Murrayfield, taking in Paris, Twickenham, Cardiff and Dublin along the way. I know that 2,800km on a bike sounds like a crazy idea but it’s a challenge I’ve set myself to raise funds for Sport Relief and my recently established Dallaglio Foundation.
I'll be in the saddle for 26 days over 5 stages and will be joined by over 200 fund raising cyclists and as the tour coincides with the RBS 6 Nations Tournament, we will be taking in each of the international rugby stadia along the way. The ride will start in Rome during the weekend of the Italy – England game. From the home of the gladiators we will head to the Stade de France to take in a little Parisian culture and perhaps a ricard or two before heading to Twickenham HQ in time for the England – Ireland match two weeks later. The ‘peloton’ will then visit the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Lansdowne Road in Dublin before heading for the final destination namely Murrayfield in Edinburgh in time for the Scotland v England match.
Many celebrities from the world of sport and entertainment will be joining me to share the pain, and our friends at GB Cycling have agreed to provide us with technical advice. Sport Relief have both agreed to feature the Challenge from start to finish so please look out for the many other opportunities to donate money.
Aside from what I am sure will be an enormous amount of fun, my main goal is to raise £1m with net proceeds split evenly between Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation, whose beneficiaries include CRUK, DebRA, Leukaemia Reseach, Help for Heroes and the RPA Benevolent Fund.
This adventure is the latest in a long line of projects that the Dallaglio Foundation has been working towards in its inaugural year. I set up the Foundation following the death of my mother Eileen, who lost her courageous battle with cancer in December 2008, and have already helped to raise over £600,000 for Cancer Research UK through our prestigious charity party, entitled 8Rocks, which took place in November 2009.
With your help I believe we can raise significant funds for both Sport Relief and the Dallaglio Foundation, so please dig deep!!
Visit www.dallagliocycleslam.com or http://www.dallagliofoundation.com for more information about the Foundation.
