Former England rugby captain Lewis Moody and a peloton including several rugby greats were met with a massive welcome when they cycled in to Worksop Rugby Club after 85 miles on leg two of a 500-mile cycling challenge, raising vital funds for motor neurone disease.

Former England captain Lewis, 48, who has been diagnosed with MND, handpicked some of his closest rugby pals to join him in the arduous seven-day ride from Newcastle down to the Allianz stadium in Twickenham.

Smiling broadly and showing no sign of the fatigue he and all the cyclists must have been feeling, Lewis said: "All the support and people turning out to meet and cheer us on give us the motivation to keep on....otherwise we would probably all just collapse. Thank you to everyone - you make a massive difference."

His own personal highlights of the ride so far, he said, laughing, include Kenny Logan taking a tumble, and "Geordan Murphy asking Martin Johnson if he needed a hug".

Straight after his 85-mile ride from Ripon, Lewis Moody chatted and posed for photos with fans and supporters.

placeholder image — Straight after his 85-mile ride from Ripon, Lewis Moody chatted and posed for photos with fans and supporters.

Former captain of the winning World Cup team, Martin Johnson, said as he dismounted from his bike: "I've never been so glad to see Worksop! We had a great ride - it was a bit lumpy coming through South Yorkshire with the hills, but we all dug in, and have had loads of encouragement along the way."

Among the crowd waiting to greet the cyclists, including members of the squad that won England's only Rugby World Cup, was Worksop's own Phil Pask, a rugby player who became physiotherapist to the England team, and is now president of Northampton Saints.

Phil, who describes himself as a 'proud Worksopian' has been putting in the miles singly to meet the 500 miles target, and will join the group tomorrow as they head off to Leicester on the third leg.

His 88-year old mother, Jean, who still lives in Worksop, was at the rugby club with him, along with his sister Jill Turner.

Former Worksopian Phil Pask greets a weary Martin Johnson following the lengthy leg two ride.

Phil said: "The thing about MND is it's not incurable. it's just underfunded and we need more research.

"I'm very emotional today - along with Lewis, a few players I have worked with have suffered from this horrific disease. Funds raised from this ride will benefit not just people in sport, but everyone across the whole population."

He wasn't sure of his own reception at Leicester Tigers' tomorrow as Northampton Saints beat them on Friday to get to the Cup final.

"I'm their nemesis," he joked. "We destroyed their hopes. They may not be too pleased to see me."

Supporters wait for the cyclists to arrive at Worksop Rugby Club.

President of Worksop RUFC, Neil Hopkinson and team pulled out all the stops to ensure a warm welcome and ready facilities for the cyclists, who will stay in Worksop overnight, then head off to Leicester on leg three of their challenge in the morning.

A collection made at Worksop this evening raised £534 for the My Name'5 Doddie Foundation, a charity created by Doddie Weir, former Newcastle Falcons' captain, who died of Motor Neurone Disease aged 52.