WATCH: Moray charity cyclist on course to pedal to Cologne for crucial Scotland Euros clash

While Scotland struggled in their Euro 2024 opener, a Moray man and his Tartan Army band have powered on in their charity cycle quest towards Cologne.

Garmouth native Alex Schweitzer-Thompson committed himself to pedalling the 327 miles from his Edinburgh base to Germany in time for Scotland’s crucial group match against Switzerland on Wednesday night.

The inspiration behind Alex’s ‘And I would bike 300 miles’ challenge was his father Alan, who he accompanied to all of Scotland’s qualifying matches before sadly passing away late last year after being diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour.

Alex (40) decided to raise money for the Brain Tumour Research charity to help other families affected by what he described as a “horrible disease”, and set a target of £10,000.

Accompanied by a group of intrepid friends, including fellow former Milne’s High pupil Stephen McConnachie, from Portknockie, he has reached the Netherlands and will soon cross the border into Germany and embark on a hard push towards Cologne.

More importantly, the group has already raised more than £6500 towards their target.

“My Dad was a massive football fan and some of our best footballing memories came from watching the Scotland teams of recent years. But, having watched every home match of Euro 2024 qualifying together, he passed away soon afterwards.

“Having planned to go to Germany with him, I thought the best way to preserve his memory would be to travel there with others who held him dear and to take on a challenge that will help raise funds towards research into a horrible disease that affects so many families.”

Cheered on by friends and family at Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, the group set off on Friday and endured almost incessant rain for much of their journey towards the borders.

The sun broke through in time for their arrival in Coldstream, the finish point for day one where Alex and his band watched Scotland’s painful 5-1 defeat to Germany in Munich in the opening match of the European Championships tournament.

There could be no drowning of sorrows, as the ten-strong Tartan Army had to set off at 6am the following morning if they were to make it to North Shields for the ferry across to Ijmuiden in the Netherlands.

While a couple had to drop out due to work commitments, others joined for the European part of the adventure and the new collective came off the ferry to pose for pictures with fellow Scotland fans, then get back on their bikes and travel the 20 miles to Amsterdam.

In the Dutch capital, they enjoyed some refreshing beers and joined locals in celebrating their country’s 2-1 win over Poland in their opening group fixture.

However, day three was also a poignant occasion for Alex, as June 16 was his father’s birthday and he would have turned 72, so a special glass was raised in memory of the man who inspired the whole challenge.

Amsterdam is only roughly halfway towards their target destination. Today they join the Eurovelo 15, a dedicated cycle network along the Rhein which will firstly take them the 83 miles to Kleve in Germany, before the final leg of the journey, another 83 miles to Cologne in time for Wednesday’s massive match.

It’s virtually a must-win game for Steve Clarke’s side but the presence of a courageous gang of furious Scottish pedallers in the city could trigger an equally impressive effort from the boys in blue to keep their Euro interest alive.

“We’re really grateful for all the generous donations we’ve received from family, friends and strangers so far, and are determined to complete the cycle for both my dad and for everyone who has supported us.

“Brain Tumour Research is a fantastic charity, and we’re all committed to raising as much money as possible for it in my Dad’s name.”

Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer, yet just 1% of the national spend on cancer research has been allocated to this devastating disease since records began in 2002. To learn more, go to braintumourresearch.org