Paddy McGuinness has been warned to expect “pain and suffering” on his Children Need cycling challenge by a man whose no stranger to epic bike rides.
The 51-year-old from Bolton is on the second day of his almost 300 mile (480km) ride from Wrexham to Glasgow, where the presenter hopes to arrive on Friday.
Chris Morton, who cycled more than three times the distance on a ride from Cardiff to Poland for charity, said he thought McGuinness would be “starting to feel it”.
The former speedway champion, who was one of the most capped British riders of all time, has talked through what it takes to complete a long distance cycling challenge.
How easy is cycling 300 miles?
“Paddy’s obviously a fit bloke, and he’ll certainly be capable of doing it, but what you do find is that towards the end of each day, you start to feel the pain, and all the aches,” Morton said.
The 67-year-old cycled 1,060 miles (1,705 km) over two weeks, averaging about 90 miles (144 km) a day.
“You’re pretty good during a good lump of it – then it starts to get pretty hard towards the end of each day,” he said.
“I’ve had to dig deep in my sporting career – but that was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, and I certainly had to dig deep.”
What hurts first?
McGuinness told North West Tonight he was “nursing a blister on my right buttock cheek” as he tackled the second day of his challenge.
“I keep shifting around on my seat but every time it starts kicking in or it gets painful, someone gives me wave and I just forget about it,” he added.
Morton said he was not surprised, as when asked what would hurt on such a ride, his answer was clear.
“The bum certainly,” he said, adding a decent seat was important on any long-distance cycle.
“I don’t know how much training Paddy’s done,” Morton said.
“Any other aches and pains that you might have occasionally, they’ll certainly shout out at you – and you’ve got to learn to deal with that.
“It’s not easy – it’s not supposed to be, is it?”
What is a Raleigh Chopper?
McGuinness is tackling the 300-mile challenge on a modified yellow Raleigh Chopper, a bike made originally for children featuring a low seat and u-shaped handlebars.
“It’s not built for this really,” Morton said, who described the bike as “probably comfortable for about five miles”.
“Someone probably suggested it and knowing Paddy, he said: ‘Oh, I’ll do it on a chopper.’
“I wonder if he has thought it through?
“But good luck to the guy.”
Will Paddy be able to finish?
“I think he will do it – he’s a determined man,” Morton said.
“People questioned if I could manage, but you don’t know until you try it.
“I tried to keep it simple by saying, ‘I’ve just got sit down in the saddle for six to seven hours and pedal a bit’.”
Morton was cycling with others to raise money for Speedway Riders Benevolent Fund, a charity that helps those injured as a result of accidents whilst racing for British-based teams.
“When it gets really tough, which it will do, you just get your head down, concentrate and keep going,” he said.
