England rugby veteran raises more than £100k for MND

Mike Teague cycled the width of the US

A veteran England rugby player is among a group of cyclists who have raised more than £100,000 for charity.

Mike Teague, who played for Gloucester, England and the British & Irish Lions, was part of a group which set off to cycle from San Francisco to New York in May, covering more than 3,250 miles.

The tour was organised by the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation which is dedicated to creating "a world free of motor neurone disease" - the condition that led to the death of former Scotland international rugby player Doddie Weir.

Reflecting on the experience, Mr Teague said it was "an amazing trip, with an amazing bunch of people".

The group endured temperatures of up to 40C in some areas

Mr Teague's group from the UK raised half the money while a team from New Zealand also raised £50,000 in memory of Doddie Weir who died in 2022 at the age of 52.

Talking about his American trip, Mr Teague told BBC Radio Gloucestershire: "You don't realise how big a country it is."

He said: "The 'loneliest road in America' just seems to go on forever."

Sometimes, he added, he only had the "gophers" to keep him company on the long stretches.

"We're not exactly Tour de France winners," he said of his group, which ranged in age from 53 to 68.

"We haven't got those bodies and it's not a good look being fat and in lycra - but we've done it."

Mr Teague said despite the gruelling conditions, everyone had the "rugby mentality" of "looking after each other".

Some days were spent in the mountains at altitude and in the cold while other parts of the trip saw the group subjected to temperatures of more than 40C.

He told BBC Radio Gloucestershire that while there were no major injuries, there was "one slight hiccup" involving himself, where he landed on his teammate who fell off his bike in front of him.

Cycling into New York was "quite special", he explained, adding it was a bit "movie star-esque.

"As we came off the ferry into New York, we were joined by a couple of riders and rugby players from the NYPD and they... closed all the roads to get us right the way through central New York.

"We would have struggled to get through - you can imagine the traffic."

Since being back, Mr Teague said he has been out with the Cherry and White cycling group of ex-Gloucester players and he revealed there had been talk of doing an event for former Gloucestershire cricketer Syd Lawrence who has recently been diagnosed with MND.