310 miles from Mollie
DJ to cycle 500km from london to Hull
BBC Radio 1 DJ Mollie King is preparing to cycle 500km (310 miles) from London to Hull – her late father Stephen’s home city – to raise money for Red Nose Day.
Mollie will embark on the epic solo challenge despite never having ridden a bike on the road before. She says she has chosen to cross the finish line in Hull because the city is so close to her heart.
“I’ll be constantly thinking of the finish line in Hull, which was such an important place to me and my dad,” Mollie said. “I know that he would be immensely proud that I am doing this for such a great cause.”
Mollie – who rose to fame as a singer with The Saturdays and is engaged to the cricketer Stuart Broad – lost her dad Stephen just days after she welcomed her baby daughter Annabella, with her partner Stuart, in 2022. Stephen had been diagnosed with a brain tumour and sadly died three months later.
Mollie later explained how the diagnosis came out of the blue. She described Stephen as “the best dad you could ask for” and pledged to raise awareness and funds to combat “this horrible disease”.
Over five exhausting days in the saddle, Mollie will pedal through the streets of communities including Towcester, Burton-upontrent, Manchester and Leeds, as she battles both physically and mentally to reach the finish line. “Mollie King’s Pedal Power for Red Nose Day on Radio 1” will also see her visiting villages and towns where projects funded by Comic Relief are providing support to people who need it most.
Mollie will depart from central London on Monday March 11 during the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Greg James, when she will be joined by family, friends and her cohost Matt Edmondson. Her progress will be followed throughout the week on Radio 1.
Special guests will join Mollie along the route and listeners will be encouraged to contribute to “special surprises” to keep her pedalling when the going gets tough. Mollie said: “I can’t believe I’m going to be taking on this incredible challenge. The closer the start date gets the more daunting it’s becoming.
“I’ve been training for the last few weeks on an exercise bike and learning how to cycle on the road too, it’s been an incredibly steep learning curve. I haven’t been able to exercise much since having my daughter, a year ago, so even getting back into the training is pushing me harder than I thought it would!
“I know the wonderful support from our fantastic Radio 1 listeners and my fellow presenters is definitely going to give me a boost when I’m feeling absolutely exhausted.” She added: “I’m going to give it absolutely everything and do my best for Comic Relief and the brilliant projects they support across the UK and around the world.”