BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James is on day four of his epic 1,000km cycle from Dorset to Edinburgh. The 40-year-old breakfast host is raising funds for Comic Relief and began the tandem challenge on the Jurassic Coast before heading north. The journey will see him climb higher than Mount Everest in total elevation and will last eight days.
‘I wasn’t nervous, but I am now,’ James told the BBC before setting off. ‘Months of training have led to this moment and I can’t quite believe the journey is finally beginning. The support in Weymouth has been incredible, it’s given me such a lift.’
James has been met by crowds of supporters along the route. He shared, ‘I want this challenge to bring people together, and if today is anything to go by, the next eight days are going to be unforgettable. It’s going to be gruelling, but absolutely worth it knowing the money we raise is going to such good causes. So, please donate!’
The BBC breakfast host has also recently experienced a significant emotional setback after his father was admitted to intensive care following complications from heart surgery. James spoke about the situation on Instagram, saying: ‘For those that don’t know what’s happened to my dad, I’m sorry that you’re finding out on my wildly popular social media channels. He was supposed to go – well, he did go – in for heart surgery on Thursday, and I was on the Breakfast Show on Thursday because I thought, “That’s a good distraction.”’
‘I’m always banging on about how great radio is at distracting you from your life and things going to shit. It’s good for listeners, and it’s good for the people doing it as well. So, I was happy on Thursday. I thought, “That’s the best place for me. I love doing that.” And then on Thursday night, we found out that, sadly, the operation didn’t go to plan, and he had a stroke. Which is really shit.’
Despite the news, James has emphasised that he still wants to complete the challenge, saying his father would want him to continue.
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‘He really wanted me to do this challenge, which is coming on Friday, so I’ve been training my tits off for it, and he knows that, and he knows how much it means to me, so this Comic Relief challenge – 1,000km on a tandem from Weymouth to Edinburgh – I’m up for it.’
Since setting off, James has made strong progress, passing Birmingham and heading towards Derby. He also shared his amazement at the fundraising total, which has already reached £192,020.
‘My God, I can't get my head around that total. I can't,’ he said to the BBC. ‘I'm sort of just beaming! Because I think I was holding in a lot of anxiety around that number because we hadn't had any updates over the weekend. I was sort of just going, “You know what, I'm just doing what I can do. I'm just going to keep cycling and telling people why I think Comic Relief is brilliant and all that stuff.”’
The presenter crossed the finish line of day two and will soon reach the halfway mark of the challenge. Reflecting on the milestone, he said: ‘I feel elated. I feel a bit overwhelmed by all these people who just turned up out of nowhere.’
To support his 1000km, follow his journey and donate, go to comicrelief.com/ride
Kate is a fitness writer for Men’s Health UK where she contributes regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a post graduate diploma in Sports Performance Nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer with over 5k hours coaching on the gym floor. Kate has a keen interest in volunteering for animal shelters and when she isn’t lifting weights in her garden, she can be found walking her rescue dog.
