Jill Scott, the former England professional footballer, is currently undertaking a mammoth five-day, 388-mile journey to run and cycle her way from London’s Wembley Stadium to Sunderland’s Stadium of Light, named the Coming Home Challenge. All of this is in aid of Sport Relief, and will raise much needed funds to help the charity’s local projects, as well as sister charity Comic Relief’s wider work.
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Currently on day three at the time of writing – a 38-mile ultra marathon run from Liverpool to Manchester – Scott has already completed 112-mile and 99-mile rides on Monday and Tuesday respectively. She’ll ride another 111 miles tomorrow, before another 28-mile run to the Stadium of Light in Sunderland to finish on Friday, all being well.
It seems like the recently revived Mercian Cycles is taking full advantage of its resurgence and PR boost after supplying the tandem that Radio 1 DJ Greg James used for his Comic Relief challenge back in March, as the Derby-based steel bike specialist has once again stepped up to supply Scott’s bike for this challenge. It’s just the one seat this time, in the form of Mercian’s Mark 1 Allroad.
The bike features a Reynolds 725 steel tubed frame, has a lugless construction, and is paired with a Columbus carbon fibre fork. The new Mark 2 version can be specified with 853 tubing instead, Mercian tells us.
The Ventura can take anything from a 23mm up to a 45mm-wide tyre, and as the Allroad product description suggests, it can handle road, rough road and gravel as required. The Mavic Allroad wheels are shod with road-friendly Continental Gatorskin tyres.
Scott has chosen to go with Shimano’s 1x GRX815 gravel groupset with hydraulic disc brakes for the challenge. While offering less than a dedicated road groupset at the top end when going downhill, the wide cassette will afford Scott plenty of lower gears for the steeper sections.
The bike also has a Tubus rack fitted at the back, and Ortlieb’s Ultimate bar bag at the front. The latter uses the tried and tested KlickFix attachment system. Although there is a support crew behind the challenge, Jill will need to carry some transmission equipment as she is being filmed by Comic Relief, hence the requirement for the large front pack.
A Specialized Power Comp MIMIC saddle should in theory keep things comfortable over the distance, although Scott did complain of some saddle sores around 75 miles into yesterday’s ride, according to the BBC.
Mudguards was a wise one given the changeable weather that we’re experiencing in the week of the challenge too. Finally, the finishing kit is a mix of Hope and Tifosi parts.
Scott’s supporting mechanic, Mark, is riding a King of Mercia model featuring disc brakes and mechanical 105 gears. This Endurance bike uses Reynolds 725 double butted tubing with hand cut lugs, and a steel fork.
Mavic Ksyrium SL Disc wheels are paired with Continental GP5000AS tyres. A classic Brooks saddle should keep things comfortable as the miles rack up. The Genetic AQ classic looking stem isn’t a quill stem as it might first appear, but is designed for a 1 1/8″ steerer. A rather elegant addition to a modern/classic design. Mark also supported Greg James’ Pedal to the Peaks challenge in 2018, and will be carrying a comprehensive set of tools and spares to keep the challenge ‘on the road’.
Scott’s football career began in the back lanes around her home in Falwell, Sunderland. She was also a keen runner with the Sunderland Harriers, but at the age of 13 she had to decide between progressing her running or football. In 2005, aged 18, she joined Sunderland women’s team, and then moved to Everton in 2006, and Manchester City in 2014. She was capped 161 times for England, and competed at two Olympic games.
Since retiring from football, Scott has won ITV show ‘I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!’ and hosts the Long Story Short podcast with fellow retired footballer Karen Carney.
We wish Scott every success in her endeavour to raise cash for Sport Relief – you can donate here.
4 thoughts on “A closer look at Jill Scott’s custom Mercian Ventura Allroad for her gruelling 388-mile Sport Relief challenge”
The donation’s worth it just to celebrate the fact that she’s riding a proper bike made out metal.
@jaymack With a carbon fork, isn’t that like saying it’s a vegetarian meal apart from the steak? Wasn’t aware that my carbon bikes weren’t “proper” bikes though…
(I grew up in the age of steel and love 531 and 753 bikes as well, but…)
My bike’s metal, it too has a carbon fork. It took me many a country mile before the fear of carbon-fibre-parts-catastrophic-failure-nervous-twitch left me. While I know it’s completely daft I must admit that a carbon frame would have me worrying every time I knocked the thing over. You shall have an extra ‘like’ just for being far braver than I. Thank heavens cycling’s a church broad enough to accept difference even if no one’s told the UCI!
@jaymack It took me many a country mile before the fear of carbon-fibre-parts-catastrophic-failure-nervous-twitch left me
My first carbon fork came on my Merlin titanium with up-to-the-minute Ultegra 9 speed in 2000. That was probably high-end carbon and I never worried about it because it’s never carried any weight but me. On the other hand, in October 2019 I bought my most used bike ever: a steel Vitus Substance gravel with disc brakes and Sora 9 speed, cost £650. It’s been hammered a lot with camping gear over rough ground, but I have inspected the El-Cheapo carbon fork just now and it appears perfect. I worried about it initially, but now I never think about it.