Paddy McGuinness is gearing up for the challenge of his life - and knows the pressure is on after Vernon Kay's incredible Children in Need efforts last time! Paddy will start his Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge during the Radio 2 Breakfast Show on November 11 and will pedal almost 300 miles, starting in Wrexham, north Wales. The route will take him through more counties – Flintshire, Cheshire, Merseyside and Lancashire - including a stop at Preston, where Radio 2 in the Park took place in Moor Park earlier this month. Then it is onto Westmorland, Cumberland, Dumfriesshire and Lanarkshire, and he is aiming to finish at on Friday November 15 morning in Glasgow.
Paddy says he knows the heat is very much on after seeing what his pal Vernon achieved last year but will have plenty of support. Chatting earlier, Paddy said: “I’ll be cycling from Wrexham to Glasgow. That’s 300 miles, eight counties and three nations.
‘No likey, no bikey’ just isn’t an option! As a kid, I didn’t have much and used to be really jealous of my mates riding around on those bikes, so I’m really honoured to support BBC Children in Need by getting peddling to raise as much money as possible for the charity. After seeing Vernon’s incredible efforts last year - no pressure then!” Vernon, who raised over £6million last year for BBC Children in Need with his Ultra ULTRA Marathon, said: “I know exactly what Paddy will be going through so I and the rest of our Radio 2 buddies will be supporting him every pedal of the way, especially up all those hills - ouch!” A BBC TV crew will be following Paddy every pedal of the way for a behind-the-scenes documentary about his challenge. Vernon followed The Great Scott TreadMills Challenge in 2022 when he walked, jogged and ran for 24 hours on a treadmill raising over £1.
3 million. Before him, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco Danceathon saw £1.3 million pledged with Joe Wicks’ 24 Hour PE Challenge in 2020 raising over £2.
5 million in 2020 one year after former X Factor star Rylan undertook his 24 hour Great Ka-RY-oke to get the money rolling in. Simon Antrobus, BBC Children in Need Chief Executive says: “Paddy is taking on an extraordinary challenge which will help benefit the lives of children and young people across the country who are facing significant challenges. Right now, the need is greater than ever, but with the support of the public we can continue to lighten the load for hundreds of thousands of children across the UK when they need it most.
"We’re encouraging Radio 2 listeners across the country to support Paddy by taking on their own fundraising challenge too – whether that’s by roller skating or cycling – I look forward to seeing everyone’s efforts! A huge thank you to Paddy for taking on this challenge, everyone here at BBC Children in Need wishes him the best of luck!” Vernon, talking to Zoe Ball a day after his challenge, said: "Well my Achilles is shot to bits, that’s completely gone, I’ve got to have a little bit of work on that. The knees are achy, calves are sore, thighs and quads, gluteus maximus is a little bit achy as well. But that’s to be expected.
And apart from that...
we raised 6 million quid!" Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads ..
