Paddy McGuinness says he’s caught the “biking bug” and takes to Zwift after 300-mile Raleigh Chopper ride – as presenter sues gossip site over “utterly false” Michelin star restaurant mid-cycle pitstop claim + more on the live blog

So, apparently 300 miles and five days toiling over hills on a modified Raleigh Chopper can make you fall in love with cycling, to the extent that you’re willing to spend the winter suffering in your shed, staring at a screen on Zwift. Who knew?

Well that’s exactly what seems to have happened to Paddy McGuinness, who admitted at the weekend that he’s caught the “biking bug” in the wake of his gruelling and nostalgia-fuelled Children in Need ultra-endurance ride earlier this month.  

The 51-year-old BBC Radio 2 presenter raised over £10 million for the charity after cycling from Wrexham to Glasgow on a modified version of the iconic 1970s Raleigh Chopper bike, hauling himself over the nastily steep hills of the Lake District and being joined by Sir Chris Hoy along the way.

> “Will Children in Need be paying for his new knees?” Paddy McGuinness completes epic five-day, 300-mile Raleigh Chopper charity cycle, raising over £7.5m – with a little help from Sir Chris Hoy (and a Gladiator)

But just when you thought that was enough suffering for one month, the Phoenix Nights star decided – for some reason – to join the world of Zwift, taking on his first FTP ramp test on the virtual cycling platform.

“Did my first FTP on the Zwift bike. It’s no chopper!” McGuinness posted on social media, along with his results.

“I’m still trying to figure out how to whack it on my Strava? Tricky to figure it all out, tips welcomed. I think my ultra endurance challenge has given me the biking bug!!!”

Among those welcoming the former Top Gear host to the cycling fold was double British time trial champion Hayley Simmonds, who wrote: “Congrats on the challenge! Zwift is great for training motivation, especially at this time of year. Hope you’ve got it all connected with Strava now. Hopefully see you on there for a ride.”

Others, meanwhile, were there for the Take Me Out puns.

“Let the TAYLOR see the ZWIFT,” said Matt, to audible groans (I imagine).

“Welcome to cycling, the most enjoyable, addictive, and expensive hobby there is. Good luck!”

And speaking of expensive – working out how to link Zwift to his Strava account wasn’t the only thing on Paddy’s mind this weekend.

According to the Mail, McGuinness’ legal team are taking action against celebrity gossip site Popbitch after it claimed the 51-year-old stopped during his 300-mile charity cycle to indulge in a Michelin-starred meal.

The weekly newsletter accused McGuinness of taking a helicopter to visit the Cumbrian village of Cartmel, where he allegedly enjoyed a 15-course fine-dining experience at three Michelin-starred restaurant L’Enclume, before staying there overnight.

However, Paddy’s team have denied the claims made by the site – which specialises, it says, in ‘Scurrilous gossip. Scandalous Stories’ – and have prepared a legal letter against Popbitch.

“The story is completely and utterly false, at no point did Paddy leave the challenge or the team. They were together every second,” a source said.

“Paddy most nights was getting physio to prep him for the next day, followed by an early night due to the 6am wake-up.”

Paddy, welcome to the world of cycling – full of gossip and innuendo at every turn…

Van der Poel and Philipsen, eat your heart out: 

I’m not sure what’s worse – the denim shorts and lumberjack-style checked shirt combo, or that horrific leg warmers-over-shorts look…

Denim cycling hotpants, anyone?

The UCI Cyclocross World Cup – now in its new, more compact format – returned at the weekend, as Fem van Empel and Eli Iserbyt both soloed to commanding victories in Antwerp yesterday, ahead of next week’s jaunt over to Dublin for round two.

And while there wasn’t much in the way of dramatic racing, this ‘cross season’s unfortunate penchant for idiotic actions by spectators continued, as one attention-seeking ‘fan’ – seemingly desperate to direct a heart gesture at a TV camera, while leaning his elbows over the fencing on the inside of a tight corner – got his comeuppance almost immediately, thanks to a perfectly executed shoulder check from Laurens Sweeck:

Pay attention to the oncoming riders, or get shoulder checked by Laurens Sweeck 😬

[image or embed]

— Katy M (@writebikerepeat.bsky.social) November 24, 2024 at 3:04 PM

And it’s fair to say that ‘fan’ picked the wrong set of shoulders to obstruct – look at the size of them, they’re huge!

Also, the look of disgust on the heart-sign-making spectator’s face makes the whole clip for me.

‘How dare this world-class racing cyclist ruin my moment on tele? MY moment?’

> “Don’t come to a bike race if you’re going to do this”: Cyclocross rider who stamped on rival’s bike has beer chucked on him by furious spectator

Sweeck’s brief encounter with a stupid fan wasn’t enough to stop him securing a strong second behind Iserbyt, thankfully, as he powered away from Michael Vanthourenhout to finish 17 seconds behind Belgian champion Iserbyt.

But spare a thought for poor Thibau Nys, who also collided shoulder first – this time with a wooden post, as he entered the pit area – before fading to 12th on the day.

Some shoulders are stronger than others, eh?