Radio 1 DJ Greg James broke down in tears after completing a 1,000km tandem bike ride from Weymouth to Edinburgh, raising more than £3.3m for Comic Relief. The eight-day journey saw support from Prince William and comedian Joe Lycett, who each joined him for a leg of the 630-mile challenge.
James reached the finish line at Murrayfield Stadium to cheers from a crowd. “I can’t believe it’s done!” he exclaimed before crying. He praised the “spirit” he encountered while cycling through the UK, calling it “the biggest privilege”. He joked he would “never cycle again”.
The DJ told Jack Saunders: “It’s been such a struggle at times, but everyone has got me through it. The thing I’ll remember the most is seeing the joy from everyone and pushing through the pain to get to that joy.” He gave a special shoutout to his father, who is in hospital after a stroke.
James was left “depleted” and feeling “rotten” from exhaustion, but was spurred on by his wife, author Bella Mackie, his mother, and colleagues Jamie Laing and Alice Levine. He received video messages from stars including Chris Martin, Nick Jonas, Lando Norris, and Bob Mortimer.
The arrival of Prince William left James most nervous. “That’s the tightest I’ve grabbed the handlebars for the whole week,” he said, adding he was relieved he “didn’t kill the future king”. James has previously completed five triathlons in five days and climbed three mountains for Comic Relief, raising around £2m.
Comic Relief airs on BBC One on Friday (20 March), hosted by Davina McCall, Katherine Ryan, Nick Mohammed, Joel Dommett, and Catherine Tate. The show will feature stars including Sir Idris Elba and Alison Hammond in comedy sketches, including a Traitors-themed film with Anna Friel as host Claudia Winkleman.
