Introducing Rob Drury-Dryden - Cyclist

ROB’S STORY

I got involved through one of my old University friends, a great friend called Russ Kesley. He was, I think, the instigator of all these big rides. He decided some years ago to ride solo from Twickenham up to Murrayfield for the Scotland versus England game. And then some of his friends, old rugby playing friends, got wind of this. I think it's sort of grown from there. 

He got me on a bike about four years ago, and I’m now involved in all these crazy, crazy things. It’s fantastic now,  because we've got a whole group of old University friends, all doing this together. So, Russ is going solo down to Rome and then Rob Boyns, who is an old Uni rugby friend of mine as well, so it's great. Then it’s some of the other Welsh boys, they're all alumni from Aberystwyth.  I think there are five of us all who were all at university together, all played rugby together,  and who are now heading down to Rome together on bikes.

I work in healthcare. So I've worked in oncology drug development for the last 17 or so years. It’s just helping to develop drugs, get access, or get drugs out into the marketplace for patients across lots of different cancer types. In terms of MND,  I think the research and development of drugs is not different across the different spaces. One of the things I look at quite carefully in my line of work is biomarkers and really understanding which drugs can be effective for the right patients.  I think this is something we really need to understand for MND. How do we actually identify patients? What's really going on with disease biology? So that's certainly an area which I'm very interested to follow.

WHY THIS PARTICULAR CHALLENGE?

I think it might've been decided for me! When Russ and Boynsie say: ‘Come on, let's do it’,  then you do. I'm up for it. These things are always challenging and always good fun. And they create fantastic memories. And you know, you’ve got to keep moving. You’ve got to keep doing stuff. You have to keep the MND message out there. So if I can do that, fantastic.

For me, very simply, Doddie was just extraordinary. You know, the way he reacted to the diagnosis was quite incredible. I was very fortunate to meet him a couple of times. He was such an incredible man and an inspiration.  I just feel very, very moved by everything and I want to help.

We haven't found a cure yet. We have to find a cure.

These things don't happen overnight, but there will be huge advances, I'm sure. The more people who are looking at this, the more research and development that can be done, the more chance we have to find the key to unlocking the challenges here.

In terms of the trip itself these things kind of snowball, don't they? I had a few contacts down in Monaco. So I said to Rob Wainwright and Rob Boynes and Ian Barr: 'Look,  shall I see if I can contact some of my old friends because we could go through Monaco, it'd be quite fun?'

Ian said: ‘Oh yes, I know someone down there as well, who lives in a palace'. So he wrote an email, I contacted some friends, and now we have an audience with Prince Albert at the palace. And we're going to be transferring the ball that we're carrying, which is the match ball for the Cuttitta Cup in Rome, on the following Saturday. We’re giving it to Marcello Cuttitta, who is the twin brother of Massimo, who the match is played in honour of. So that's going to be fantastic. And we've got a dinner being put on for us in Monaco as well. So that's going to be just an amazing experience, I think.

WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO BE DOING ON THE CHALLENGE?

We start at Murrayfield, then head across to Ireland, down to the Aviva Stadium. Day two is going to be a good one, all the way across Wales,  Holyhead down to Cardiff. That's going to be, I think, a bit hilly. And then all the way across to England. I'm getting quite involved with the route. We’re coming pretty much past my front door down here in Oxford, which will be fun as well. I'm trying to get a few people out from the local cycling club and that sort of stuff and trying to visit some of the rugby clubs local to me. So that's good. We go across to England and then move to Twickenham and then down to New Haven. Hopefully we get a little bit of sleep on the ferry that night. I think the previous two nights could be quite short ones. And then it's into France. We've got three days basically in France and they're going to be big days.

I think everyone's very excited to be going down to Monaco. We've got a big day going into Monaco over the Southern Alps. We should be there for Tuesday afternoon. I think that's going to be a real moment in time for us with the transition of the ball via Prince Albert to Marcello Couttita. So I think everyone's really looking forward to that. And then it's two days from there down to Rome.

MOST CHALLENGING PART OF THE TRIP?

I think we're going to struggle with sleep deprivation. I think if you look at the miles per day and the way that we're doing it, it doesn't look a big deal. However, I remember a drinking game at University where you had to drink a beer out of shot glasses and you think it's really easy. But by the time you've drunk a fair few of those, you're struggling. I think it's going to be a bit like that. It’s going to be small bits, but it's going to be continuous. Sleep is going to be a challenge. I think it’s going to take its toll. 

It's aiming to be done in eight days.

WHAT IS YOUR ULTIMATE AIM?

I think there are two key things here. I think yes, money. We need to fund the research for MND. We've got to find the cure. That's one thing. But the other is generating engagement and education as well. What we're going to be trying to do is stop regularly at rugby clubs and schools and other communities on the route to just spread the word. We want to create an understanding of not just what we're doing, but what can be done to help those suffering from MND. So that's a really, really important part of it.

I want to make sure that we're raising as much money as we possibly can. I want to make sure that we're engaging fully with everyone on route and creating that ripple effect. But I think it's also to do this; A bunch of guys and have a real sense of achievement.  We're going to be in each other's pockets for eight days under quite some strain. I think there will be moments of humour, and there will be moments of the opposite, I'm sure. But I think that's the experience that I'm looking for.

BIGGEST TROUBLEMAKER IN THE PACK?

Oh, that's Rob Boyns, without a doubt. I was at University with him. I've been on a rugby tour with him. And if there's anyone who's more troublesome than Rob Boyns, we will be all over the shop to be honest. I mean, he's trouble.

He and I played a little bit together at the University at Aberystwyth. There are some fun tales. He was a very hard running centre, very passionate. I played in the back row with him. I played seven and I'm a little bit taller than he is. Just remember that as well. So in any of the photos, we always stand together and it's obvious I'm a little bit taller than he is. So we had a lot of fun.

I played with Russ as well. Russ and I played in the back row together. They were fantastic days, great, great days. I went on to play club rugby. I had a season in New Zealand, which was great fun. I never went pro, but really, really enjoyed, you know, a good level of rugby. And, you know, it's those memories, those, you know. We are still talking about the tour that we had from university 30 plus years on from then. Great, great days. Now? That's why you do these things. I think it's wonderful that so many of us are still coming back together and doing good things, using those connections that we have across the rugby community, rugby world, and doing great things. It’s a brilliant sport, isn't it?

WHAT DID DODDIE MEAN TO YOU?

For me, it's the attitude. It's the attitude to life. It's just taking everything he has tried and saying: ‘Okay, look, I can't do anything about the past, but what I can do is I can mould the future and I can adapt to that. He had such an incredible way with people and words, always smiling and in the face of such huge adversity, was still the one who was positive. You know, if you read Rob Burrrow’s autobiography, he was almost a saviour for Rob. To be able to do that, you know, when you're dying yourself, is incredible.