How Paddy McGuinness has prepped for his 300-mile bike ride

Marie-Claire Dorking
·Contributor
Updated ·5 min read
Paddy McGuinness has begun his gruelling cycling challenge for Children In Need. (BBC/PA)
Paddy McGuinness has begun his gruelling cycling challenge for Children In Need. (BBC/PA)

Paddy McGuinness has revealed some of the preparation he's been doing to be able to complete his gruelling BBC Children in Need cycling challenge.

The 51-year-old TV presenter began his 300-mile ultra-endurance cycle ride from Wrexham to Glasgow for the charity this morning and has shared some of the things he's been doing to prepare, starting with being put through his paces by legendary cyclist, Sir Chris Hoy.

Speaking about his training sessions with the six-time Olympic champion who recently shared his terminal cancer diagnosis, McGuinness said he been "pushed to his absolute limits" by the regime.

"Chris Hoy has been absolutely, as you can imagine with some like him, outstanding, first class, brilliant with his advice," he told the PA news agency. "I really feel as though everyone’s got behind me on this, and just wants me to do it, so they’re giving me as much help as possible. But it’s been an eye-opener certainly."

He continued: "When I go on a bike ride with Chris, I really know about it, because he pushes me to my absolute limits."

Sir Chris Hoy has been helping Paddy with his training regime. (Getty Images)
Sir Chris Hoy has been helping Paddy with his training regime. (Getty Images)

McGuinness, who hosts a Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 2, is undertaking the challenge on his dream childhood bike, the Raleigh Chopper, which isn't likely to be the comfiest.

To counteract chafing and soreness, he's has packed padded shorts and plenty of anti-chafing cream to help him get through the rigours of the challenge, with Hoy helping in this area too. "Sir Chris Hoy has sorted me out with that," he told The Sun. "We’re talking about a Knight of the Realm here with Sir Chris. "I woke up two weeks ago to a Whatsapp off a Knight of the Realm, which just said, I have got your a**e cream. I was like, ‘Nice one’."

McGuinness says he plans to "slather" the cream on himself "and the bib shorts I'm wearing". "It feels awful, but if you don't have it on, you can't ride any longer than an hour or two, because of the friction," he told Radio Times.

As well as using preventative cream, Hoy told McGuinness to ride his bike daily. "He told me to ride the Chopper every day, as it's getting your backside used to it, because it's so painful sitting in one position for so long. He's been going around finding me bum cream!" McGuinness added.

McGuinness's ultra-endurance cycling challenge is three times as far as his Radio 2 colleague Vernon Kay's ultra-marathon last year. To try to up his fitness levels the former Take Me Out host has been undergoing a "brutal" training regime with Hoy and revealed that his first day, a couple of weeks ago, was nothing short of a disaster.

"I got on that Chopper, genuinely, I went up a hill and I literally couldn't turn the pedals, it was that difficult. I thought to myself ‘I'm not going to be able to do this’. And the hills in the lakes and in Scotland are so brutal," he said.

But, despite his first day getting off to a challenging start, McGuinness says he's stuck rigidly to the schedule.

Unfortunately for him, a Chopper comes with only three gears - and one of his isn’t working. "Everything about that bike is not designed for a challenge like this at all," he told The Mirror. "When you are sat on it as an adult, you're almost holding yourself in a press-up position and because you're hunched over, your triceps are burning as well. I'll be on that bike for nine or 10 hours a day. It’s not pleasant."

Paddy McGuinness has been sharing what he has done to prepare for his challenge including trying to prevent chafing. (Getty Images)
Paddy McGuinness has been sharing what he has done to prepare for his challenge including trying to prevent chafing. (Getty Images)

This past weekend, McGuinness thanked his BBC Radio 2 colleagues on Instagram for putting together a pace-setting playlist for his ride.

According to Runners Needs, by syncing a run to music people could find themselves faster, farther, and with more of a spring in their step. "In its natural state, your brain is inclined to sync your footsteps to anything with a repetitive beat… this can include train tracks, the person stomping next to you, and, of course, music," the publication explains.

And this science could no doubt be applied to cycling, too.

As well as preparing physically, McGuinness says he has also been preparing himself emotionally for the challenge ahead. "I am mentally ready for it now. I just want to get started," he told The Sun.

"I’m planning on just eating a load of pies afterwards. Honestly, I cannot wait until we’re at that finish line in Glasgow. I’ll probably inhale a pint of Guinness when I finish. And then we’re in the back of the car and straight down to Salford for Children In Need on Friday night."

Read more about celebrity health and wellness:

Latest Stories