Where Paddy McGuinness will be in Scotland on charity ride funded by one of Scotland's richest men

Scottish entrepreneur Sir Tom Hunter’s charity is to match donations for Paddy McGuinness’ Chopper Challenge, with the TV host cycling between Dumfries and Galloway and South Lanarkshire on the latest Scottish leg.

The Hunter Foundation has said it will match Radio 2 donations from the public for Children in Need, up to £2 million.

McGuinness is cycling 300 miles on his Raleigh bike from Wrexham in Wales to finish his Ultra Endurance Cycle Challenge in Glasgow.

JPI

He has so far covered 200 miles and raised £3.3m - all on a Raleigh Chopper, the iconic children’s bike popular in the 1970s. His journey is being covered by Children in Need via a Paddytracker website.

PA

On Thursday morning, he began a leg of the route that was set to take him from Ecclefechan in Dumfries and Galloway to Strathaven in South Lanarkshire .

Speaking on Radio 2 on Thursday morning, McGuinness said: “We are going to get to Glasgow. By hook or by crook, I will drag the bike and walk if I have to.”

McGuinness said he was struggling with the cold and sore quad muscles after climbing Shap Summit in Cumbria on Wednesday.

He said: “After doing Shap yesterday, it’s my quads today. They are so tight, and my fingertips and my toes today, I’ve never felt them as cold, no matter what I’m doing, you know? I’m trying to wiggle my hands, put on toe warmers, you know, it’s just absolutely freezing.”

Scottish cyclist Sir Chris Hoy, who has terminal cancer, described McGuinness’s effort as “incredible”.

“I've seen some of the footage,” he said. “I've seen how emotional he's been, he must be physically exhausted but emotionally exhausted as well. He just needs that support now to get him home and to keep on raising all this incredible amount of money that he has so far.”

The announcement about the Hunter Foundation’s match funding was made live on Radio 2 on Wednesday night.

The announcement said: “For every five [pounds], he will give five and for every ten, they will donate ten.”

The businessman, one of Scotland’s richest men, is estimated to be worth around £700m. He and his wife Marion set up The Hunter Foundation in 1998 and have since donated to causes including Band Aid, University of Strathclyde, Comic Relief, the Alzheimer's Society, Make Poverty History, and the William J Clinton Foundation.

On Friday, McGuinness will aim to finish his ride by cycling from Strathaven to Glasgow, via Rutherglen.

On the first day of the challenge, Sir Chris told McGuinness: “There is no doubt this will be the toughest thing that you ever do. Paddy, you must keep pedalling on your little chopper. This will be five relentless days over brutal terrain, but when it gets really tough just remember why you’re doing this.

“You’re doing this to inspire the nation. You’re doing this for Children in Need. And we’re all behind you.”