Cycling the Five Nations for Max
Suicide is known to be one of the biggest causes of death in young men and when mental health issues result in a friend lost, it has a huge impact on others, including rugby friends and teammates.
Recently, two 19-year-olds who played rugby together from the U5s at London Irish Amateur RFC, set off on a 1,400 mile cycle around the stadiums of the original Five Nations to both honour a friend and help his legacy of supporting young people suffering from mental health issues.
Max Windle, a very talented athlete, playing a number of sports at a high level, died at the age of 16 after suffering from depression. The Max Windle Memorial Trust was set up by his family in Max’s memory to help support other young people suffering from mental health issues.
Barney Doyle and Luke Michels have just finished their first year at university, Barney continuing to play rugby at Manchester and both boys ardent rugby fans. Barney and Max became friends at senior school where they played rugby together.
Having enjoyed cycling together during lockdown, Barney and Luke wanted to take on a challenge to raise money for Max’s Trust. They decided to cycle around the Five Nations rugby stadiums starting from the Stade de France and heading across France, Scotland, Ireland, Wales and England. They started their ride at the Stade de France on the 20th July arriving in Murrayfield on the 28th July, then heading to Dublin and Cardiff, before finishing at Twickenham on August 4th.
The boys want to highlight the importance of people speaking out when they are struggling and to show that it should be easy to ask for help. The Max Windle Memorial Trust is working to ensure that this support is available to all young people when they need it.
Mums Sally and Helen are providing vehicle and moral support in France and Scotland and Dads Maurice and Bart take up the baton in Ireland and Wales, with Bart planning to cycle some of the route with the boys - if he can keep up!
To follow the boys’ journey, visit their Instagram page here or their JustGiving page here.
