Today, Radio 2 presenter Paddy McGuinness set off early – at 7.20am - from Kendal on Day 3 of Radio 2’s Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge for BBC Children in Need. He’s attempting to cycle almost 300 miles from Wrexham AFC to Glasgow on a Raleigh Chopper, and people have been lining the streets along the way and it’s really spurring him on! You can follow him en route via the Tracker (link below).
Today was the earliest start and latest finish, with over 12 hours in the saddle and having to ride 67 miles! His route today began at the Kendal War Memorial, starting with a brutal climb through the Cumbrian hills to Shap Summit at 1400 feet, then cycling through Hackthorpe to Penrith passing King Arthur’s Round Table before reaching the England Scotland border at Gretna Green, finishing Day 3 when he reached Ecclefechan and crossed the 200 mile mark across the three days so far.
Highlights today included being set on his way by the Mayor of Kendal, Councillor Jonathan Cornthwaite; hearing from his friend, Vicky McClure, during The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show; being met en route by some of his former secondary school friends, one of whom also worked with him at one of his first ever jobs in 1989 - a Saturday job cleaning at the Warburtons factory – and they surprised him near the top of the brutal Shap Summit with a donation of £50 000 from the bakery; gladiator Giant surprised Paddy this morning and cycled some of the way alongside him; Paddy’s good friend Melvyn Downes from SAS Who Dares Wins surprised him a bit later on by camouflaging himself under a pile of leaves and jumping out when Paddy stopped for a short break; during Scott Mills’ show, Blue serenaded Paddy from the studio with a version of their debut single All Ride specially reworded in honour of Paddy’s challenge. And Sara Cox revealed to Paddy that Sir Tom Hunter’s Hunter Foundation has been so inspired by his heroic cycling efforts for this Radio 2 challenge for BBC Children in Need that he’s going to double every single amount of money that has been donated so far today and for the rest of Paddy’s challenge, right up to £2 million!
As he finished the day he was met with a warm greeting from primary school children in Ecclefechan and Jo Whiley on Radio 2 welcomed him in, chatting to him on air once he finished.
Speaking to Jo Whiley, with lots of people cheering in the background, he said: “Jo, this was quite simply the toughest day of the challenge so far, but I’ve arrived into Ecclefechan and the whole town is out. I’m surrounded by everybody, honestly if you could bottle this feeling Jo it is top of the world amazing.”
He continued: “It’s been a really emotional day today, I feel as though my body’s completely broken, but I feel weirdly I feel the best I’ve felt since I’ve started. It’s just been one of those days, it’s been emotion after emotion, wave after wave, but we’ve done it, we’ve got to the end.”
Jo revealed to him that the new total so far is £2,527,607
Paddy said: “Oh I am so so happy, even though the physio’s going to absolutely crucify me, my legs and my back, I will be smiling all night. The feeling of love round here and generosity and what’s happened all throughout the day, it’s culminating into a beautiful night all the way up in Scotland in Ecclefechan and I cannot wait to get up in the morning and do it all over again. I can’t wait, I love it!”
Paddy gave Penrith a shoutout as he revealed he brings his kids to Penrith on holiday and the fact he had made it to Penrith on his chopper blew his mind. He said he felt like a royal visitors as he arrived in Penrith to find the streets lined through the town cheering him on.
Paddy will take a well earned break overnight in Ecclefechan before starting out on day 4 of Paddy McGuinness does Radio 2’s Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge for BBC Children in Need you can donate at www.bbc.co.uk/paddy
If you missed the teams out collecting around Penrith as Paddy came through today don’t worry the Penrith Lions will be out on Saturday collecting for Children in Need during the Penrith Christmas lights switch on event. You’ll find them at Market Square, King Street, Devonshire Arcade and Middlegate between 10am-4pm.
photos supplied by BBC
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