Owain Wyn Evans completes four-nation charity cycling challenge

Owain Wyn Evans completed his five-day, four-nation cycling challenge in Cardiff on Friday, November 13, raising funds for BBC Children in Need as the Princess of Wales sent him a message of encouragement in Welsh.

Evans, a BBC Radio 2 presenter, finished after 11am after riding nearly 400 miles through Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales. A crowd greeted him at the finish, where he was met by his husband, Arran Rees. The challenge began in Glasgow on Monday, November 9.

The Princess’s recorded message was played on Sara Cox’s BBC Radio 2 breakfast programme as Evans approached the end of the ride. Speaking in Welsh, she encouraged him to keep going and wished him well. Evans praised her pronunciation as “perfect” after hearing the message.

Fundraising totals reported on Friday varied by time and account. Friday-morning coverage said the ride had raised £2.9 million. Two reports after Evans crossed the finish line gave different totals: £3,853,530 and £3,349,220. The difference between those finish-line figures was not explained in the reports.

The ride supported BBC Children in Need and was described as BBC Radio 2’s longest-distance fundraising challenge. Evans’s...