Owain Wyn Evans Radio 2 charity cycling challenge, Digi Mart USA News (Glasgow, Scotland): BBC Radio 2’s longest fundraising challenge is underway, with Owain Wyn Evans cycling nearly 400 miles across all four UK nations.
Owain, who presents Early Breakfast on the station, left BBC Scotland’s Pacific Quay headquarters in Glasgow shortly after 8am on Monday 9 November, beginning a five-day ride in aid of BBC Children in Need. His first stage covers 84 miles to Cairnryan, with a ferry journey to Northern Ireland to follow.
Welsh actor Luke Evans revealed the opening route live on Radio 2, while the overall challenge will take him through Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales before finishing in central Cardiff on Friday 13 November.
At the start line, Owain admitted: “I am very nervous for what the next couple of days have in store for me.”
Sara Cox spoke to Owain on Radio 2’s Breakfast Show, while fellow presenter DJ Spoony joined him in Glasgow. A bagpiper played “Scotland the Brave,” Scottish comedian Susan Calman delivered a motivational speech, and drummers from Glasgow’s Samba Ya Bamba Band performed, recognizing his 2021 Children in Need Drumathon.
A listener has named Owain’s yellow, spotted bicycle Shania Chain, prompting a message from Shania Twain, who told him: “We’ll be cheering you on all the way. Good luck!”
Radio 2 will carry regular updates throughout the challenge, with coverage also available on BBC Sounds and a live website tracker showing his progress.
A television crew is following Owain for a documentary, Owain Wyn Evans: Four Nations Challenge for BBC Children in Need, which is scheduled for BBC One on Friday 20 November at 7.30pm.
