DJ Nick Grimshaw completes 12 hours in saddle to raise £115k for Sport Relief

Radio 1's Nick Grimshaw yesterday evening completed a 12-hour cycling session for Sport Relief, with other celebrities including Victoria Pendleton joining him to rack up more than 1,000 miles and raising more than £115,000 for the charity.

The DJ – known as ‘Grimmy’ to his fans – undertook the challenge on a turbo trainer in a Perspex box in the plaza outside the BBC’s Broadcasting House in Central London.

While there, he even presented his Breakfast Show, continuing to pedal as he did so.

He was joined by celebrities including TV presenter Davina McCall, rapper Professor Green and Olympic Keirin champion Victoria Pendleton, each of whom did a stint in the saddle to help reach a total of 1,205 miles during the 12-hour challenge.

BBC Radio 1 Newsbeat has video and pictures of the challenge.

Grimshaw, who had started his ride at 7am, finished it during Greg James' Drive Time Show, and told his fellow DJ: “I'm never going on a bike, ever again. I'm going to burn my bike."

By that time, he had raised £115,500.

Later, he said: “Thank you to everyone who’s been texting in, it’s a big deal, it’s a lot of money, and it will change lives.

“Last night, I was really anxious. I couldn’t eat, couldn’t sleep, I was really stressing out about it. I think the first two hours were the worst just because I didn’t think I could do it. The fourth hour was horrible, I felt really sick. I had to go have a word with myself in the mirror.

“Thanks to Sport Relief for letting me go out to Kenya and see how this money really does change lives. I’ve said it before but sometimes when you give money to charity you think, ‘Where’s that going?’ But I got to see it first-hand. I don’t think I could have done this without seeing the work that the money does.”

The challenge forms part of BBC Radio Around the World for Sport Relief – with the whole of BBC Radio, national and local, aiming to run, swim and cycle 25,000 miles – equivalent to the circumference of the world.