This year, Lochcarron of Scotland are sponsoring the Cycling Souters, a team of cyclists local to the Selkirk community where our mill is based in the Scottish Borders. The Souters are preparing to embark on a tough charity challenge this year, cycling from Selkirk to Italy to help Rob Wainwright deliver the match ball for the six-nation Italy v. Scotland rugby match taking place in Rome’s Stadio Olympico on the 9th of March 2024. We are delighted to be able to show our support as a sponsor for this challenging venture the team are pursuing.

Some of the Cycling Souters visited our Selkirk mill before they set off on their challenging charity cycle in March.

Branding Content for their Cycle to Rome

The group are undertaking this cycle to raise funds in the memory of ex Scotland lock and Scottish Borders rugby legend, Doddie Weir, who suffered with Motor Neuron Disease. Motor Neuron Disease (MND) is a rare condition that impacts the brain and nerves, progressively damaging the nervous system, which causes muscle weakness.

The donations the Souters raise from this campaign will be donated to the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, an organisation, founded by Doddie Weir and his trustees. The charity is working towards a world free of MND by funding vital research into the disease. With Doddie’s local connections and the 11 members also being former rugby players, including Scotland Internationals Gordon Hunter and Iwan Tukalo - member of Scotland’s 1984 and 1990 Grand Slam-winning sides - the work the charity do is very important to them. In 2022, the team cycled from BT Murrayfield to Cardiff’s Principality Stadium in 48 hours to deliver the ball for the Wales v. Scotland rugby match and raised over £20,000 for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation.  The main goal of this new challenge is to raise as much money as possible for the charity, with the hope of surpassing the previous £20,000 total in fundraising.

Souters meeting Gavin Hastings in Cardiff in 2022, having completed the Doddie Cup 500 and helped to deliver the match ball from Murrayfield to the Principality Stadium.

The Souters are aiming to cover all the costs of their 2024 trip before they set off, therefore 100% of the funds raised will go directly to the charity. The group has set up a JustGiving Page, please do make a donation if you possibly can.

The Route to Rome

Their ride will begin in their hometown of Selkirk on the 3rd of March and finish in Rome on the 8th of March 2024. Over the course of their six-day ride they will be travelling 1500 miles and an average of 280 miles each day. During their ride they will be supported by a back-up crew following their journey in camper vans. The Souters will be cycling in relay teams throughout and will be meeting up with other groups of charity cyclists who are setting off from different points across the UK.

The route they will take was planned by ex-Selkirk rugby player Allen Jamieson. Departing from Market Place in Selkirk at 8:00 am on Sunday March 3rd, the group will be cycling 90 miles to Newcastle to catch the overnight ferry to Amsterdam. They hope other cyclists will join them on their Grand Départ with the opportunity of completing a 25 mile or 50 mile route.

The Souters cycling jersey design for the All Roads Lead to Rome challenge.

The Route Breakdown

Day 1: Selkirk to Newcastle for overnight ferry to Amsterdam.

Day 2: Amsterdam to Northern France

Day 3: Northern France to Bourg-en-Bresse

Day 4: Bourg-en-Bresse to Monaco

Day 5: Monaco to Pisa

Day 6: Pisa to Rome

Upon completion they will enjoy a celebratory Limoncello with all the other participants. Then on Saturday 9th of March, the day of the six-nations match, the Cycling Souters will join other Scottish participants to honour the memory of Doddie Weir by marching from Piazza del Popolo to the Stadio Olympico.

Iwan Tukalo climbs Bottom Swire near Ettrickbridge, Selkirk

My Name’5 Doddie Foundation

The late Doddie Weir OBE was a famous face in rugby in Scotland. Throughout his outstanding career he played for the Melrose Rugby club, the Newcastle Falcons and later internationally, achieving 61 caps for the Scotland national team, and representing in the British and Irish Lions squad on their tour in South Africa in 1997.

The My Name'5 Doddie Foundation was established in 2017 by Doddie Weir and his trustees in response to the Scotland and British Lion’s frustration at the lack of support for those suffering with MND. With there being no effective treatments and limited access to clinical testing there was no hope in finding a way to fight the disease. Doddie Weir was diagnosed with MND in 2016 and sadly passed away from MND at the age of 52 in November 2022.

Gordon Hunter and Iwan Tukalo with Gavin Price an MND sufferer.

The foundation continues in his legacy and are dedicated to freeing the world of MND, pursuing this goal by funding the most efficient research. They have already donated millions of pounds for targeted MND research projects and are committed to continue to invest in research to find new treatments and knowledge to help improve the lives of those impacted by MND and ultimately find a cure.

The Cycling Souters at Ettrickbridge, Selkirk