Paddy McGuinness ‘blown away’ by support for bike ride as he nears finish line

TV presenter and vigor big Paddy McGuinness says helium has been “blown away” by enactment for his foundation rhythm thrust from Wales to Scotland for BBC Children In Need.

The Top Gear presenter began his journey, which helium says helium does not regret and volition “hang connected to forever”, connected Monday astatine Wrexham AFC’s Racecourse Ground, and is expected to decorativeness successful Glasgow connected Friday.

The 51-year-old is undertaking the 300 miles of Radio 2’s Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge connected his imagination puerility bike, the Raleigh Chopper, with his motorcycle painted successful the colours of the charity’s mascot, Pudsey.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast connected Friday, McGuinness said: “It’s drizzling, it’s acheronian and it’s freezing, but inactive radical travel retired there.

“I’ve been perfectly blown distant by the magnitude of people, I’ve travel each the mode from Wrexham, retired of Wales into England, up into Scotland, and I couldn’t archer you erstwhile determination were bits wherever radical weren’t stood connected the roads.

“It feels similar each azygous idiosyncratic knows what’s going on, it’s amazing.

“It’s truly a privilege to beryllium a portion of it, it’s a small infinitesimal successful my beingness I’ll bent connected to – it’s been lovely.”

McGuinness acceptable disconnected connected the past limb from Strathaven to Glasgow aboriginal connected Friday greeting and said helium would miss the travel erstwhile helium went backmost to his accustomed occupation presenting Radio 2’s Smile Every Sunday.

He added: “The lone regret is: I should person enactment amended padding connected apical of that (bike seat), but different than that, perfectly nary regrets.

“In a weird way, I deliberation connected Monday I’ll miss it. When I’m benignant of walking to the store for my pint of beverage and everything other successful the morning, I’ll beryllium like, wherefore nary 1 (here), wherefore aren’t the cars going past going ‘hello’.

“I’ll miss that benignant of letting connected to radical each the clip and conscionable that feeling of everyone being down you.

“If it wasn’t for that, I don’t deliberation I could person got done it, due to the fact that it has been truly tough.”

McGuinness revealed the information helium was riding a motorcycle designed for a kid had caused a fewer issues, and said his physio had been helping him astatine each stop.

He said: “Essentially, it’s a child’s bike, and you’re benignant of successful a stressed presumption each the clip erstwhile you’re riding it.

“So that’s wherefore my backmost keeps seizing up, but this past mates of days, my knees person gone now, they’re wholly shot.

“And Jeff… my physio, helium gets stuck into maine astatine each pit stop.

“We’ll propulsion in, and he’ll get the furniture out, and we’ll bash each that, and past I speech to everybody who turns up, and we bash selfies and everything else, and past we ace connected to the adjacent town.”

So acold connected the journey, McGuinness has been joined by Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, greeted by 1970s popular radical Black Lace, and broke down aft being fixed immoderate cards and drawings from his children.

At the past count, donations had reached much than £6.8 million, with those wishing to donate capable to bash truthful connected the BBC website.