A coast-to-coast charity cycle organised by MacGregor’s Bar in Inverness has raised £37,000 for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation in support of motor neurone disease research.
MacGregor’s has recently opened a second venue in Oban, having taken charge of the town’s Whisky Vaults Hotel last autumn, so the riders’ two-day route took them from one MacGregor’s to the other, approximately 110 miles east to west down the Great Glen.
Brought together by organiser Bruce MacGregor, the cycle pack featured musicians, former rugby players and supporters, many of whom had never cycled any great distance, who faced torrential rain, strong headwinds and some brutal hills.
The My Name’5 Doddie Foundation was set up by former Scotland rugby star Doddie Weir, after his diagnosis with MND in 2017.
Doddie’s old rugby colleague, former Scotland rugby captain Rob Wainwright, joined the team at Duror & Kentallen community centre on the first leg of the challenge.
“Most people had never cycled anything more than five or ten miles, so it was a huge effort,” said MacGregor. “We’d been soaked all afternoon and people were shaking and shivering.
“But the camaraderie was just out of this world. So many people said it was one of the best things they’ve ever done in their life.”
Supportive stops along the way included Cameron’s Tea Rooms, and Whitebridge and Lochaber Rugby Club.
As with everything that Bruce MacGregor gets involved in, music was central to the event, with performances along the route and at overnight stops, and locals turning out to show their support.
“It felt like we were on a different planet for the weekend,” he said. “Everybody got on so well with each other. There was no competitiveness, no racing ahead.”
The initial hope had been to raise £5000, making the final total of more than £37,000 all the more of a surprise. Plans are already underway for a second event next year, this time going west to east in the hope of getting the wind helpfully at their backs rather than in their faces.
