ON Monday night, the great and the good from the world of rugby will join together in London to honour and pay tribute to Doddie Weir, diagnosed last year with MND.
There are simply too many people to thank in the lead up to this gala occasion at the Battersea Evolution, but the generosity of individuals from sport, media and business, whether in giving their time, or, providing items for auction, has been simply awesome.
This week, Sir Chris Hoy stepped up with a prize offer that will be a once in a lifetime experience for some lucky individual and their friends and family. He also decided to throw in an extra gift.
Chris donated a race suit, and autographed it. Now, as he rightly pointed out, it is dead easy to stick a signature on something and say I wore it here, there or anywhere.
But this suit is a one-off, as it still has his race numbers attached, as well as blood, possibly other traces of DNA, splinters of wood and holes – lots of holes, burn holes, the kind you get through friction when you crash at high speed, as Chris did in the 2009 World Championship Keirin final.
Watch it on YouTube. No need for a letter of authenticity with this prize – although I wouldn’t mind instructions on how best to have it framed!
ONE thing no-one had banked on was Doddie becoming a fashion icon. But at Newcastle on Thursday night the big chap was joined by a couple of equally tall boys in the shape of his ex-Falcons team mates Stuart Grimes (left) and Gareth Archer.
End to end, these chaps come in just short of 20 feet in length. That can only be great news for the tartan industry - although it’s less pleasant if you stare at this photograph for too long.
TALKING about cycling, what a great piece this week by Rhona McLeod on BBC Scotland about Phillipa York, who prior to gender transition, was Robert Millar, Scottish cyclist extraordinaire.
It was great seeing my first Scottish cycling hero. No, not the 1984 Tour de France, polka dot jersey wearing King of the Mountains. But Billy Bilsland, Olympian, ex-pro rider of the early 70’s and Millar’s mentor.
During Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, when looking for a cycling feature, I suggested to one recently-graduated journalist that they popped in to Billy’s shop near Glasgow Cross.
“Billy who?”
Would-be sports reporters with no knowledge of sport.
How very useful.
AND finally, on the subject of George Wilson Weir, last week he tackled Hadrian’s Wall, joining in with a charity walk in aid of Doddie Weir’5 Trust and Foundation.
He rang me after two hours to complain at a lack of hardstanding or concrete, and that it was ‘hard going.’
“I could have told you that,” I said, throwing in an encouraging word or two.
His plan is to complete the walk some time over the next week, his manic schedule allowing.
“You are doing it in instalments?” I enquired.
“Well, when the Romans built it, they only did a bit at a time, didn’t they?” Dodgy countered.
As you can see, for those enquiring, he is doing fine.
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