Mike Tindall reveals heartfelt reason behind his 137km cycle ride for charity

Former rugby player Mike Tindall, who is married to Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter Zara Tindall, has started a new fundraising challenge for people suffering from Parkinson's disease. The royal recently revealed the heartfelt reason the cause is so important to him on a personal level.

Mike Tindall, who is taking part in the ambitious Raid Local cycle ride in aid of the charity Cure Parkinson's Trust, revealed that his father Philip Tindall also suffered from the disease. The royal, who has been the Patron of Cure Parkison's Trust since May 2018, shared that he regrets not giving the disease enough attention when his father was diagnosed.

In a video posted to his Instagram account, the father-of-two discussed his dad's struggle with the disease and said that he doesn't want to see another son or daughter go through what he had to go through with his dad. "My dad has had Parkinson's for 20 years and I've watched a strong purposeful role model slowly be eaten away by this disease. I probably didn't give it enough respect when he told me he had it... I seriously regret that now," he said.

The 41-year-old took to his Instagram account on Sunday morning to share a picture of him and a small group of friends on their bikes. The Raid Local cycle challenge, which had to be organised on a much smaller level due to coronavirus pandemic, will see over 100 cyclists around the world take on a jaw-dropping 3700m ascent that covers 137km.

Mike has kept his followers updated about their progress. He posted a video during a break from cycling on Sunday afternoon, in which he said: "So we've just stopped, we are 85 km in, I believe we are somewhere around halfway of climbing. So hopefully we've now got to decide what we do, we've done the loop so we've got to decide whether we do the loop again or climb some hills or do something else."

"Hope everyone is doing well... Hope everyone who's taking part is having fun. We are trying to keep it all socially distanced, and we've just stopped to refuel and then on the road again. Please donate if you can," he added.