Jockeys swap horses for bikes for charity

3 National Hunt jockeys worked up a sweat last week (17 March) — but on bikes rather than in a sauna.

Aidan Coleman, Sam Twiston-Davies and Mattie Batchelor joined Radio 1’s Nick Grimshaw on a mission to raise money for Sport Relief.

The DJ, along with celebrity guests, had to cycle 1,000 miles in 12hr — on exercise bikes — in a transparent box in London outside the BBC studio.

So the jockeys, obviously more used to riding horses than bikes, donned their silks and joined “Grimmy” for a bit of spinning.

“It wasn’t too hard,” said Aidan. “But it was good fun, especially with Mattie Batch [known for being a comedian in the weighing room] doing it too. It was for a great cause as well.”

The challenge raised more than £115,000. Other celebrities joining in included McBusted, Professor Green, Pixie Geldof and a rather overqualified Victoria Pendleton.

➤ Visit: www.sportrelief.com/radio-around-world-sport-relief

This article was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (27 March 2014)

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now