Radio 1 DJ Greg James sets off on 630-mile Comic Relief cycle challenge

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BBC Radio 1 DJ Greg James is on his red bike on the starting line runway. Either side is a metal barrier lined with people waving. He is wearing all black cycling outfit and a red helmet.

Radio 1 DJ Greg James has set off on a tandem bike for his 630-mile cycle challenge for Comic Relief.

The Breakfast Show presenter will travel 1,000km through England, Wales and Scotland over eight days until he reaches the finish line in Edinburgh.

He was cheered on by crowds of people and a rock choir singing Oasis hit Roll With It as he left Weymouth in Dorset at about 08:50 GMT.

Greg will be riding mostly solo during each eight-hour daily leg, but will be joined by other Radio 1 presenters and some special guests along the way.

Speaking to Radio 1 presenters Matt Edmondson and Mollie King at the start line, Greg thanked banner-waving supporters for coming out.

Greg described the challenge ahead of him as "ridiculous" but said he would "give it everything".

"You've got to commit and I'm going to commit," he added.

"It's one of those things that needs to be a challenge.

"I've had a big breakfast, and I'm ready to go."

Wearing a red nose, Greg punched the air as he cycled away from the cheering crowd and headed off towards Bristol, the checkpoint for the end of day one.

Greg James smiling at the camera in a close-up photo . He's a white man with curly brunette hair. He's wearing a bright yellow puffer coat open with a light grey blue cycling top underneath. There are crowds of people behind him, he's smiling at them.

He previously completed five triathlons in five days in 2016 before cycling between - and climbing - Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis two years later.

Greg, 40, vowed the 2018 Pedal To The Peaks endurance test would be his last but has changed his mind to take on his third Comic Relief challenge.

The cycle will see him passing through villages, towns and cities in England and Wales before ending at the finish line in Edinburgh on Red Nose Day on 20 March.

Returning to the airwaves after he missed last Friday's show, he said his dad was "not very well at the moment" but is "still with us".

"He really wanted me to do this challenge which is coming up on Friday," he added in an Instagram post.

"He knows that and he knows how much it means to me."

The presenter also said his plans might change if his dad's condition changed, but said he was "slowly but surely improving a bit".

Radio 1's Longest Ride with Greg James for Red Nose Day will be broadcast live across Radio 1, as well as on iPlayer and YouTube during his journey.