Leicester Tigers legend Rory Underwood is taking to the roads in the Ride London 100-mile cycle event to help raise money for Alzheimer’s Research UK.

Underwood enjoyed an 18-year career as a pilot in the Royal Air Force as well as becoming England’s record try-scorer in 85 Tests for his country and spending 14 years with the Tigers.

Now a director at Tigers, Rory will be on the roads of London and Surrey on Sunday (July 29) alongside 25,000 cyclists on a similar route to that used for the London 2012 Olympic road cycling races.

The Ride London event starts in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, then travel through the capital, on to Surrey’s country roads and through the Surrey Hills before a finish on The Mall.

“I’m not climbing Everest or walking to the North Pole but anyone who knows me will tell you that I regard anything over the length of a pitch as long distance,” said Rory. “So 100 miles on a bicycle is no different.

“I got involved with the race through Alzheimer’s Research UK. My mother-in-law, Jen, has Alzheimer’s and seeing her succumb to the disease and how it as affected my wife Wendy and her sister Sue is heart-breaking.

“Advances are being made but the more money we can provide for research the quicker we’ll be able to cure this disease.”

Alzheimer’s Research UK is the country’s leading dementia research charity, funding world-class pioneering scientists to find preventions, treatments and a cure for dementia.

More than 850,000 people are living with dementia in the UK and that number is rising.

You can support Rory’s participation in the Ride London and the work of Alzheimer’s Research UK with a donation using this link https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/rory-underwood