Lawrence Dallaglio on his fundraising Cycle Slam event - ‘I am sore!’

Virgin Radio

10 May 2022, 10:31

Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky to talk about the Dallaglio Cycle Slam, in which he and fellow riders are currently cycling over 1500km across Spain and Portugal. 

The challenge started on Friday 29th April and concludes tomorrow (Thursday 11th May). The slam is raising money for Dallaglio RugbyWorks, a charity which provides a long-term skills development programme based on rugby, which aims to get teenagers outside of mainstream education into sustained education, employment or training. Of the Cycle Slam, Lawrence told Chris: “I am sore! Let me tell you, it’s been an epic journey. I’ve done this for about 12 years now, every two years, and we’ve been cycling nearly ten days. I’d say roughly about 150 kilometres a day, all raising money. It’s been about 38, 40 degrees, which doesn’t help! I weigh about 18 stone, which definitely doesn’t help!”

The sports star was joined on air by his RugbyWorks team member Jose Pereira. Introducing him, Lawrence said: “This young man, who has been part of the programme now for a long, long time, he’s only been on a road bike five times in his whole life, and he has completed the most amazing journey, so well done to Jose.”

Jose moved to England from Portugal aged 14 not speaking a word of English. He was placed in a pupil referral unit due to a language barrier, which is where he started working with RugbyWorks. He told Chris: “Seven years ago I first moved to the UK with no English whatsoever, and I didn’t feel like I had the support to try and develop myself. However, in a way, I got lucky to be put into a pupil referral unit, which is where I got introduced to RugbyWorks, and ever since I’ve been connected with them, and they have provided me with opportunities that I would never have been able to really have.” 

Lawrence said: “For Jose to arrive in the UK and then to be put in a pupil referral unit in itself tells you everything you need to know about the system in the United Kingdom. 65 percent of everyone in the prison population has been excluded from mainstream education, and they end up in pupil referral units, and what the programme does, RugbyWorks, is obviously introduce Jose and the others to rugby, but it’s about giving them self-esteem, building up their confidence, giving them the skills to really develop in life. 

“No young people in the UK are born bad, they’re just born into  chaotic circumstances and very difficult conditions. We all need love, support, help, and the ability to make the right life-choices.”

Jose had never played Rugby and is now a coach alongside owning his own multi million pound sneaker business. Lawrence told Chris: “He got involved in the programme, he’s been through college, he’s ended up going to university, got himself a degree, and now he’s come onboard and started working with us. I can’t tell you how inspired and impressed I am with his journey. We work with about a thousand young kids across the UK, in London, but all over, and it’s something that really the Government need to take far more seriously.”

Speaking more about RugbyWorks, its founder explained: “Not many people work with young, disadvantaged, excluded young people, and the reason why is because it’s not very sexy, it’s not very glamorous, and it’s pretty tough to get results. But I don’t want these young men and young women to be society’s forgotten people. I’m very passionate about that.”

On the Dallaglio Cycle Slam, Lawrence said: “Every two years I have to get on a bike. I’m not really built for climbing through the mountains, but we all do it, and we raise huge awareness and huge amounts of money.”

He added: “I’ve got 60-odd riders coming with me. We started ten days ago in Spain, we’re about to finish in Lisbon, and I’ve got to say, I cannot wait. I’m a little bit sore and tender all over the place, but I guess I haven’t got six people landing on top of me, like I used to, so it can’t be that bad!”

The Dallaglio Cycle Slam runs until 11th May 2022. Donate at dallagliorugbyworks.com.

For more great interviews listen to  The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with Sky, weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or  catch up on-demand here.