Red Nose Day 2023: Arielle Free finishes Comic Relief cycling challenge

DJ Arielle Free and the 10-person bike ahead of the challenge

DJ Arielle Free has successfully completed her cycling challenge, raising more than £500,000 for Comic Relief.

She has been travelling round England DJing on a 10 person bike for Red Nose Day.

The Radio 1 presenter began her Comic Relief challenge on Sunday 5 March.

Her Tour de Dance saw her cycling 50 hours, across five cities in five days, all on a 10-person bike, complete with DJ decks.

Radio 1 listeners and presenters have been joining in to help her complete the challenge.

She finished her mammoth cycle in a snowy Liverpool after travelling through York, Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester.

Where do donations go?

Donations to Red Nose Day will fund projects that are directly helping people in the UK and around the world.

This includes supporting people who are struggling in these challenging times and tackling issues such as homelessness, mental health problems, and food poverty.

Comic Relief also says a portion of money raised throughout the Red Nose Day campaign will also go towards the emergency response to the devastating earthquake in Turkey and Syria.

Tour de Dance

Arielle Free's challenge has not been easy. Here's how it's gone.

Day 1: York

On the first day Arielle was serenaded by the Pipe Major Cameron Edgar's bagpipes as she set off on her journey through York.

The bike in action in York

She went past the York Theatre Royal, over the River Ouse and along the York City Walls.

Day 2: Leeds

Arielle's route in Leeds included a number of steep hills but it got worse when she accidentally went off course when the group took a wrong turn.

Everyone else on board the group cycle bike had to jump off and push Arielle and the bike up one of the hills. It was hard because the special bike is very heavy weighing in at around 1.5 tonnes!

Day 3: Sheffield

In Sheffield, Arielle was once again joined by listeners as they tackled more hills.

Cycling for so many hours is very tiring and difficult and Arielle has had physios on hand to help with the pain

She was given a present by a Sheffield schoolgirl and as the exhaustion and cold set in it became quite emotional.

Day 4: Manchester

Because of a loss of time on day 3, Arielle started at 6am in Manchester. It is very cold with temperatures as low as -3 Celsius in Manchester and Arielle has been feeling it.

Feeling a bit down, Arielle got a boost when Breakfast presenter Greg James told her the total had reached more than £70,000.

By the end of the day it had got to more than £100,000.

Day 5: Liverpool

The last city was Liverpool and things were not easy for Arielle.

She faced freezing temperatures and even snow.

Arielle used all her remaining energy to get through the last few hours, finally completing the challenge at 5pm and raising more than £500,000.