BBC Tower to Tower Ride - Tops the Fundraising
Target for Children in
Need!
Published:
11th October 2010
We were engaged by the BBC to arrange and support
a 7 day 470mile cycle ride linking the iconic towers
of Eiffel and Blackpool by the Radio Lancashire
Breakfast DJ Graham Liver.
Graham was accompanied on this massive Children In
Need challenge, by BBC radio boss John Clayton and Pennine
Events MD Mark Sandamas. The total to date raised
for Children in Need is an amazing £16,617!
Starting
on Friday 1st October underneath the famous Paris
landmark we passed through Versailles and the
Iles de France countryside to our first overnight stop
in Rouen.
No easy start though as it was over 100miles! The
morning started with a live radio link from the bottom
of the Eiffel Tower, accompanied by Pudsey Bear of
course! We were glad that the BBC Paris correspondent was on
hand, as the Eiffel Tower security guards were a little
confused by the whole occasion!
After the live
link-up, we set-off into the rush hour traffic! Our
heart rate was high as we cycled around the Peripherique
and Arc de Triomphe. Riding in Paris proved quite a challenge to DJ Graham Liver who
was new to cycling!
Once out of the city we climbed a
few hills, with a stop in Thoiry for a radio live
link-up and lunch. The afternoon weather was severe wind
and rain, resulting in a battle of wills to complete the
day's ride and reach Rouen.
This was the first of many
long days, reaching our destination late evening in the
dark.
- The first mile.
Listen
here
- 14 miles out of Paris and big hills!.
Listen here
- Will we make it to Rouen?
Listen here
- Graham - feeling the pain
Listen here
- Finally made it to Rouen
Listen here
Pudsey Bear underneath the Eiffel Tower
Getting ready for the first day's cycle
Day 2 should have been a relatively shortish straight-forward (mere 54miles)
cycle to Le Havre
to catch the ferry, but the day had it's own twist and
turns! With very heavy rain and regular stops for live
radio link-ups to BBC radio, the going was slow and we
began to wonder whether we would make it to the ferry in
time! With just 20mins to spare, Team Liver made
it on to the ferry and set-sail for Portsmouth.
-
Setting off from Rouen:
Listen
here
- Over a big bridge:
Listen
here
- Soaked through:
Listen
here
- Lost John:
Listen
here
- Made it to the ferry:
Listen
here
Following the French road signs
An exhausted
Graham needs a helping push from Mark Sandamas, Pennine
Events
Pudsey greeting the Team at Le Havre!
They made it to the ferry!
Day 3
saw us set-off from Portsmouth and ride 80miles through the South Downs across
Hampshire and then the Wiltshire Plains into Swindon. John had 2 punctures in an hour, plus monsoon season
felt to be in full flow, so just another quiet day's
ride! Once again this was a long day, and we finally
made it to Swindon at dusk.
- Rainy
Sunday morning:
Listen here
- Whitchurch and way behind time:
Listen
here
- Finally made it to Swindon:
Listen
here
Coming in to Swindon
Graham was up at 4.30am for his live radio show this
morning, whereas we enjoyed our beds a little longer and
joined him for the last part of the show.
We left Radio Wilts in decent weather and tackled the
next 75 miles
through the beautiful Cotswolds and into Warwickshire to
our overnight stop in Coventry. Lovely autumnal
sunshine, quiet beautiful country lanes, stunning
villages and of course a few stops for Graham to do a
live feed to the Sally Nugent radio show, made this a
great day's cycling.
- Leaving
Radio Wilts:
Listen
here
- Made it to Coventry, just:
Listen here
Early morning radio show before another 75 mile cycle!
No lie-ins for Graham now as he had another breakfast show to
present first, before we rode 63 miles through Staffordshire and a
hilly run-in to Stoke. The team were
cheered on by the amount of money coming in through their
Just Giving webpage. Despite
initial injury fears, the team
crack on at a great speed, indeed Graham rides his best to date!
We were all happy to finish the day in the light.
- Injury
fears:
Listen here
- Mark:
Listen here
- Speedy: Listen
here
- Stoke Ahoy:
Listen
here
Broadcasting live to the nation, whilst cycling!
Following
Graham's
show, this time from the studio's of Radio Stoke, we
had a
lovely but challenging 45mile ride through north Staffs and then the
rolling east Cheshire countryside before hitting central
Manchester.
The team successfully tackled the killer
climb up Mow Cop! Worth it for cracking views of the
Cheshire Plain, Manchester, Winterhill and Blackpool
beyond. Although we don't think Graham and John will be
riding up here again!
The top of Mow Cop brought fantastic emotions to see the end of the
'Tower 2 Tower' in sight. The day finished in Manchester, with a
great welcome from the BBC Radio Manchester studios!
-
Mow Cop Mountaineers!:
Listen here
At the top - Blackpool ahead!
This was an emotional and heartwarming last day!
We
started with a live radio show broadcast from the home of GB
Cycling at the Manchester Velodrome, before setting off
on the final leg through Lancashire to finish underneath
the slightly smaller but equally iconic Tower on the
Promenade in Blackpool.
"This has been my Tour de
France. ...It is without doubt my biggest achievement!"
Graham Liver
A mere 60miles...Passing right
by our office on the way, we had a great feed stop,
complete with horns and cheers arranged! Then a fast
ride
into Blackpool, where we were joined by a number of
other cyclists and met on the finish line by a mass
crowd, including cheerleaders, local business people,
tourists, BBC Radio listeners and other well-wishers!
The
Pennine Events team also came equipped with Pudsey Bear cakes
to raise extra cash for the Children In Need total, and
sold out within minutes!
We were overwhelmed by the amount of support that the
Tower 2 Tower team were given and the amazing amount
raised for Children In Need. To date we had a total of
£16,617!
After countless interviews for television, radio and
newspapers, we headed up to the top of Blackpool Tower
with Pudsey Bear. Graham cycled round the top of the
tower and celebrated an amazing achievement.
You can still donate to Children In Need through
Graham Liver's Just Giving page.
- Celebrating
at the Finish:
Listen
here
- At the top of the Tower:
Listen here
The Finish of the Tower 2 Tower cycle ride!
The crowds of supporters!
At the top of Blackpool Tower with Blackpool Town Crier,
John, Graham, Mark and of course Pudsey!
Team Liver and their support team, Pennine Events
The three cyclists - Graham, John and Mark
Cheerleaders welcome the boys home to Blackpool!
One of the many well wishers, supporting the Children In
Need challenge.
All ages came to welcome the team home.
Graham rides round the top of Blackpool Tower.
Celebrating raising over £16,000!
The BBC North West Film Clip -
PLAY
More on the Tower 2 Tower Trip
The BBC
Radio Lancashire website -
BBC website
See
the route map
on the BBC Map here.
Help to raise money for Children in Need through Graham's
Just Giving fundraising page
Read
the full tweets on the
Pennine Events Twitter
Thank you to BBC Radio Lancashire and BBC North West for permission to use
images taken during the trip.