PDRL England Community Lions take on 164.6km cycle challenge on the Road to Australia

In 2022, the PDRL England Community Lions made history by winning the first-ever PDRL World Cup, securing a sensational 42–10 victory over New Zealand in the Final at Warrington.  

Since that inaugural triumph, the PDRL England Community Lions have shown no signs of slowing down. They have maintained an impressive winning record, including a dominant 40–6 victory over Wales in 2024.  

Preparations are now well underway as the team look to defend their title at the next PDRL World Cup, scheduled to take place in Australia later this year.  

Coined the ‘Road to Australia’, the journey so far has seen players, coaches, volunteers, and communities unite with a shared goal: to raise vital funds that will help the squad make history once again. 

This Saturday, 1 August, England Community Lions players will take on a 164.6km virtual bike ride at David Lloyd Leeds, starting at 9am and continuing until the challenge is completed. 

The route will virtually connect the stadiums of the clubs represented within the squad, beginning at Hull KR before travelling to Hull FC, Castleford, Wakefield, Leeds and Wigan, and finishing at Warrington. 

The challenge has been created to support the team’s fundraising efforts ahead of the World Cup. 

You can donate here!

PDRL England Community Lions Head coach Michelle Melling said: "We're taking on a huge challenge by cycling 164.6 kilometres from Craven Park to the Halliwell Jones Stadium, but it's all for a cause that's incredibly important to us. Every kilometre we ride will help raise funds to support our journey to Australia, where we'll proudly represent England at the Physical Disability Rugby League World Cup this October.  

We'd be grateful for any support people can give, whether that's donating, cheering us on, or helping us spread the word. Together, we can make this dream a reality." 

England Community Lion John Clements said: “I'm excited for the challenge on Saturday. Getting back into a competitive environment with the squad, as we push each other toward our ultimate goal of becoming back-to-back world champions by raising funds for our trip to the World Cup in Australia.” 

England Community Lion Nick Leigh added: “We’re all so unbelievably excited for Australia and can’t wait to get over there, but to do that we need to raise around £35,000 as a team. 

“To try and make a big dent in that target, we thought about what we could do as a team to raise as much as possible. After much deliberation, we landed on a cycle challenge between the furthest-apart Super League teams in the UK, Hull KR and Warrington, and we have players from both clubs in the squad. 

“We’d like to give a big thank you to David Lloyd Leeds for allowing us to use the facilities to complete the challenge and thank you to everyone who has already donated or will donate off the back of this. Every penny really does matter to us, so if you can give anything at all, no matter how large or small, it would be a massive help in getting us to the other side of the world for a truly once-in-a-lifetime experience.”