BBC's Paddy McGuinness presented with modified bike for ride

TV star Paddy admitted he’s got to “get on with it” after being surprised at how unsuitable for the journey the children’s two-wheeler is, despite it undergoing several upgrades.

The Bolton lad will start his ultra-endurance cycle challenge during BBC Radio 2’s Breakfast Show on Monday, November 11 and will pedal almost 300 miles, starting in Wrexham. 

Speaking to One Show presenters Alex Jones and Roman Kemp – alongside fellow guest James Blunt – Paddy said: “When we had the meeting about it, doing the challenge, which is a stretch anyhow, I kind of had the rose-tinted spectacles on and thought, ‘Eh, why don’t we do it on a Raleigh Chopper.

The end product bike after the modifications (Image: BBC) "I used to love them when I were a kid’ – couldn’t afford one, so I thought let’s relive my childhood dreams, and then it became very apparent very quickly that I’ve got to do 300 miles on it.

“And what they’ve done, they said, ‘We’re going to modify it for you’, and how they’ve modified it is they’ve made the seat more uncomfortable and moved the gears what were there [points low] to there [raises hand].

“That’s it, so I’ve got to kind of just now get on with it!”

The route will take him through eight counties – Flintshire, Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire, Westmorland, Cumberland, Dumfriesshire and Lanarkshire, and he is aiming to finish on Friday November 15 morning in Glasgow.

Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: “As with Vernon’s Ultra ULTRA Marathon last year, this is one man attempting to do an extraordinary challenge.

“Not least as he’ll be on a bike which is designed for style not endurance cycling!

“We can only imagine how hard it is going to be for Paddy to cycle from Wales into England then onto Scotland over five days, so I’d like to thank him for agreeing to take on this mammoth challenge.

“I know the amazing Radio 2 listeners will do all they can to support him along the way!”