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Sport Relief: Blizzards, ice and sub-zero temperatures as stars head off from John O'Groats

Celebrities complete grueling first 24 hours of £1 million charity ride

David Walliams’ team of celebrities are 24 hours into their Sport Relief John O’Groats to Land’s End ride which aims to raise £1 million for the charity, and with high winds, icy roads, a blizzard and temperatures well below freezing as the riders head towards Glasgow, they must be wondering just what they’ve got themselves into.

The day got off to a bad start for poor Miranda Hart, who suffered a clipless moment even before the group had moved off to ride the first hour together. It’s happened to all of us, although typically, the worst that’s likely to happen is that your tumble might have been watched by some passing schoolkids, much to their delight.

So just imagine how much worse the embarrassment must be when it’s caught by a phalanx of press photographers, with a TV film crew getting in your face to capture it on film as well. Then, add to that the fact that most of your riding companions for the next few days are professional comedians – you have to feel for her.

Travelling north to south, the celebs are of course riding against the prevailing wind, and there was another inauspicious omen at the start when a particularly strong gust blew the start sign over, but undeterred, the group headed off to begin their 1,000-mile journey.

Following the opening hour, Walliams took up the challenge by himself, with his co-riders taking shelter in the accompanying bus while awaiting their own turns in the relay, and each will have a story to tell.

In Fearne Cotton’s case, that would revolve around her riding through a snowstorm and having to stop to fix a puncture to boot, while Patrick Kielty could point towards his “mangled” bike after coming off, although he completed his stint and a subsequent one during the night that took him through Glencoe with his water bottle freezing as the thermometer hit 15 below.

Walliams, meanwhile, had to swerve to avoid a stag in the middle of the road, while during a “brutal, brutal” night, Davina McCall undertook her two-hour turn with the temperature never getting above minus ten Centigrade, so cold that it forced one of the experienced outriders to abandon after he stopped being able to feel his tongue.

If it’s any conslation to the riders, it looks like it’s going to be another lovely early spring day down south, which is where they’re headed – but that is likely to be cold comfort right now as they head along the west coast towards England.

You can follow the riders’ progress on the GPS tracker on the Sport Relief website, where you can also make a donation, while regular updates are being provided on the Sport Relief Twitter feed.
 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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9 comments

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jobysp | 14 years ago
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Yes I suppose you are right in that sense and never thought of it that way - LOL!  4

I'll replace it later.

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Roadkill | 14 years ago
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Nice one jobysp, you're clearly more charitable than your post might suggest  3

Not sure why you'd get a charity to give you money for you to give it to charity though. Assume that you realise that even though you give it back the affiliate network don't so it costs the charity a fair bit of money in the long run...

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jobysp | 14 years ago
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Roadkill - doesn't earn me any money - all money is donated back to the charity.

I also donate some of my wage every month to Cancer Research, and I also do a little bit of work for RNIB and raise money through cycling events.

But thanks for looking  3

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Sanyi | 14 years ago
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Cycling in minus temperatures is pretty unpleasant but -10!! Brrr. Hats off.

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Roadkill | 14 years ago
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I think it's a pretty impressive achievement...

and let's not forget it's for charity...

unlike the link on biking2work which earns jobysp money every time one of his visitors gives to Cancer Research UK.  13

Go celebs!

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Simon_MacMichael | 14 years ago
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Heh! I hadn't thought about it being interpreted in more than one way  3

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VecchioJo | 14 years ago
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"Davina McCall undertook her two-hour turn with the temperature never getting above minus ten Centigrade, so cold that it forced one of the experienced outriders to abandon after he stopped being able to feel his tongue."

giggle

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demoff | 14 years ago
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Were we a bit harsh with the comments about this on a previous thread?

Looks like they dug in overnight in some pretty bloody cold temperatures. Its easy for us who put the miles in regular to mock and pull it apart. They have changed my opinion anyway and got a donation out of a cynical miserable bugger.

Chapeau guys and girls.

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jobysp | 14 years ago
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Hang on - have I missed something - are they taking it in turns? Now thats not really an achievement is it.  39

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