Freddie Flintoff will host the star-studded On Yer Bike on Sunday night. The Soccer Aid special sees Sir Bradley Wiggins and celebrities such as Maura Higgins head on an epic cycling trip
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Sir Bradley Wiggins and Freddie Flintoff have teamed up for an epic celebrity cycling challenge all in aid of a good cause.
On Yer Bike will see eight celebrities take to the saddle under the guidance of cycling legend Bradley in Sunday night’s 90 minute ITV special for Soccer Aid.
Split into two teams of four, England versus the World, the eight famous faces will go head to head over three cycling legs, all set to the stunning backdrop of rural Yorkshire.
The England team features Coronation Street actress Sair Khan, actor Barney Walsh, Good Morning Britain’s Alex Beresford and Emmerdale favourite Rebecca Sarker.
Comedian Zoe Lyons, actor Joe McFadden, Love Island star Maura Higgins and singer Keith Duffy make up the World team.
On Yer Bike presenter, cricketing icon Freddie is a fan of the British former professional road and track racing cyclist helping the stars on their challenge.
“I played Soccer Aid a couple of years ago and obviously it’s really all about the money raised, especially when you see what Unicef do with it,” the Preston-born star answered when questioned on his motivations for getting involved.
“It’s probably even more prevalent at the minute as well. So the main thing is raising as much money as we can for the charity and of course, seeing how this lot are going to get on.”
The Top Gear presenter the went on to discuss his admiration for Olympic champion Bradley and his predications on how he thinks the star’s will fare.
“They’ve got Bradley [Wiggins], who I know a little bit and I’m a fan of. I remember watching in 2012 when he won his gold medals and he won the Tour De France,” the 43-year-old said ahead of Sunday night’s show.
“He did the hour on the track as well which you’d think watching someone cycle for an hour is going to be the most boring thing you’ve ever seen in your life but it wasn’t, it was really compelling.”
He continued: “There’s all different levels of cycling, isn’t there? It’s going to be interesting to see how they approach it.
“Because you’ve got a couple of the celebrities, like Keith Duffy and Alex Beresford who are obviously quite fit and into cycling but then on the flip side, you’ve got Maura Higgins who just looks like she’s might have turned up in the wrong place [laughs]. It’s going to be interesting.”
Talking prior to Sunday night’s show airing, Bradley discussed how cycling helped people cope with the pressures of lockdown.
The Belgium-born athlete won a gold medal at four successive Olympic Games from 2004 to 2016 and is regarded as one of Britain’s best ever cyclists.
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The 2013 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award was thrilled to learn that many have taken to the road over the past 18 months.
“Yeah, I think so just the difficulty of being in lockdown,” the 41-year-old said when asked whether he believed bike rides helped people cope with the stresses of the pandemic.
“For what I understand, there was a little bit of a shortage on bikes I think. It was definitely one of the few things people could do. One of the few positive things as well – an opportunity for people to start a new sport.”
He added: “There weren’t many things you could do during lockdown. So I think it definitely helped the rise of cycling.”
If any of the celebrities taking part in On Yer Bike thought they might get an easy ride from Bradley, the dad-of-three revealed the stars had a “tough” challenge ahead of them.
“I think the uphills are the obvious ones because it’s tough,” he explained prior to the epic cycling leg.
“I think downhills particularly round here can be very steep so they’ve got to watch the speed down hill, they have got to break at the right times.
“They have to take the corners and maneuver the corners and obviously if there’s weather bad, it makes it slippery and dangerous.”
On Yer Bike for Soccer Aid airs tonight at 6.30pm on ITV and ITV Hub. This programme forms part of ITV’s Soccer Aid Week with the Soccer Aid match airing next Saturday 4th, from 6.30pm live on ITV.