BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James is on day four of his 1,000km cycle from Dorset to Edinburgh. The 40-year-old breakfast host is raising funds for Comic Relief and has embarked on a tandem challenge on Jurassic Coast before heading north. The trip will see him climb Mount Everest in total and will last eight days.
‘I wasn’t nervous, but I am now,’ James told the BBC before leaving. Months of training led to this moment and I can’t believe the journey is finally starting. The support at Weymouth was incredible, it gave me such a lift.
James was spotted by many fans along the way. He shared, ‘I want this challenge to bring people together, and if today is anything to go by, the next eight days will be unforgettable. It will be hard, but totally worth it knowing that the money we raise is going to such good causes. So please help!’
The BBC sitcom host also recently experienced a significant emotional upheaval after her father was admitted to intensive care following complications from heart surgery. James said of the situation on Instagram: “For those who don’t know what happened to my dad, I’m sorry to find you on my wildly popular social media channels. He had to go in for heart surgery on Thursday – well, he went, and I was on my way. The breakfast show On Thursday because I thought, “This is a good distraction.”
‘I’m always shocked at how great radio is at distracting you from your life and things like that. It’s good for the listeners, and it’s also good for the people doing it. So, I was happy on Thursday. I thought, “This is the best place for me, I like it.” And then on Thursday night, we found out that, unfortunately, the operation didn’t go as planned, and he had a heart attack. Which is really funny.’
Despite the news, James has insisted he still wants to complete the challenge, saying his father wants him to continue.
He really wanted me to do this challenge, which is coming up on Friday, so I trained my lungs for it, and he knows, and he knows how much it means to me, so this Comic Relief challenge – 1,000 kilometers from Weymouth to Edinburgh – I’m ready for it.
Since starting, James has made strong progress, moving past Birmingham and heading towards Derby. He also shared his surprise at the fundraising total, which has already reached £192,020.
‘My God, I can’t get my head around this sum. I couldn’t,’ he told the BBC. ‘I was kind of crying! Because I think I was very nervous around that number because we didn’t have any updates over the weekend. I was just going, “You know what, I’m just doing what I can.” I’m just going to keep cycling and telling people why I think Comic Relief is great and all that stuff.”
The presenter is crossing the finish line of the second day and will soon reach the halfway mark of the challenge. Reflecting on the stage, he said: ‘I feel happy. I feel a little tired of all these people who just came out of nowhere.
To support his 1000km, follow his journey and donate, go comicrelief.com/ride
Kate is a fitness writer Men’s Health UK Where she helps with regular workouts, training tips and nutrition guides. She has a graduate degree in sports performance nutrition and before joining Men’s Health she was a nutritionist, fitness writer and personal trainer who logged over 5k hours on the gym floor. Kate enjoys volunteering for animal shelters and when she’s not lifting weights in the garden, she can be found walking her rescue dogs.
#Greg #James #battles #fatigue #heartache #1000km #cycle #challenge #brutally #tough