Gruelling Challenge: Stunt: Davina McCall

RideOnTime

I don't know what to make of it.

Good: She's doing stuff that people might think oh yeah I'll do that. eg cycling.
Bad: She's making a right *ucking song and dance about it. :roll:

Thoughts please??????

Mikey23

Saw the start and finish of her swim across Windermere... Not something I would care to attempt. She looked terrified before she started and had to be carried out when she finished. Brave or foolhardy?

dodgy

It is the duty of her support team to create some drama / theatre. The average member of the public has no idea whatsoever what it's like to stretch yourself physically. So they're going to capitalise on that, hopefully resulting in more money coming in.

Having said all that, it is by no means a typical celebrity challenge, there's real suffering I think.

Mike Healey

It doesn't need much dramatising. The previous day she covered 130 miles in constant rain, winds of up to 40mph and air temperatures of around 3C. God knows what the wind chill factor was.

Chapeau in spades to her

DeVlaeminck

The cycling bit is something most of us do for fun but it's certainly not easy - fair play to her.

dodgy

Mike Healey wrote:

It doesn't need much dramatising. The previous day she covered 130 miles in constant rain, winds of up to 40mph and air temperatures of around 3C. God knows what the wind chill factor was.

I'm referring to what I think was day one and she was taken off the bike with hyperthermia after only about 20 miles or so in the saddle (from memory). I reckon that was probably poor kit choice.

markhewitt1978

Madness to do it at this time of year. Used to be they did the challenges in summer.

team47b

I don't have a tv so can you tell me if she still looks like an uncontrolled bag of footballs?

Mikey23

Nope, looked pretty trim in the wetsuit...

Mikey23

Surprised she was allowed to finish that swim. She could have died

Lookyhere

she is out running, swimming and cycling in weather the vast majority of us wouldn't even walk to the shops in, so fair play to her.... hope she makes it.

Pross

She ought to do a sponsored silence, I donate for that but suspect it would be a challenge too far for her.

MichaelW

Some kind of spelling mistake or typo?

lakesluddite

Well at least she's putting all that fitness work in those DVD's she tends to bring out every January to good use!

Fair play, she's picked the worst weather possible, nearly drowned in Windermere and had to cycle from there to Blackburn in pretty foul stuff. I pass that pontoon where she set off from every day, and I wouldn't fancy it one bit - even with a wetsuit.

slowbike

Lookyhere wrote:

she is out running, swimming and cycling in weather the vast majority of us wouldn't even walk to the shops in, so fair play to her.... hope she makes it.

The individual challenges she's doing don't seem like a huge mountain to overcome, but put them together and throw in some bad weather then suddenly it becomes a challenge ...
Dangerous? To an extent - but she does have full support crew - most of us have to do our challenges with limited support. It does mean she can push it to the limit - knowing that there are ppl who will drag her out of the lake or off her bike when she can do no more ..

Like her or not - she's doing it - and it's not an easy ride - the safety net might be there, but that doesn't make the completion any easier - it just removes some of the worry from the "whatif's" ...
I'll do the ride, I could do the swim (but wouldn't want to) but couldn't do the run.. and the bits I would do I'd rather do when it's nice and sunny with a zephyr of breeze ...

Rob Somerset

Good on her. I've always found her a bit irritating as a presenter but I admire anyone who gets off their arse and does something that needs some serious effort put in. Also , from the rear, she was doing a good job of filling out that wetsuit

RideOnTime

MichaelW wrote:

Some kind of spelling mistake or typo?

harsh...

MattC59

RideOnTime wrote:

I don't know what to make of it.

Good: She's doing stuff that people might think oh yeah I'll do that. eg cycling.
Bad: She's making a right *ucking song and dance about it. :roll:

Thoughts please??????

That's a joke.......... right ?

apreading

Trouble is, Eddie Izzard has spoiled all this for me - since I saw him do a lap of the country with marathons each day, everything else seems less of a stretch. Felt sorry for those that did the JOGLE relay that year as their efforts were totally eclipsed...

madtam

I have heard of, but not seen any coverage of this. However unlike some "celebrity" challenges this is fairly tough. Mostly it's because of the rough weather having to be dealt with.
I agree with the last poster that Eddie Izzards multi marathon is one of the most extreme challenges dreamed up and completed. He didn't exactly run at marathon pace with some days taking 7-8 hours or more. But I think he worked pretty hard at it in all weathers.
David Walliams also went up in my estimation with the channel swim and the Thames swim. Neither of which are to be considered lightly, even with the amount of backup that they had.
I suspect that there were considerable periods when all of the above celebs were wondering what the hell they had got themselves into.

Loretta Damage

Rob Somerset wrote:

Good on her. I've always found her a bit irritating as a presenter but I admire anyone who gets off their ars* and does something that needs some serious effort put in. Also , from the rear, she was doing a good job of filling out that wetsuit

+1. Can't fault her determination and effort but she is one of the most irritating female presenters on British TV by a country mile.

awavey

its tough absolutely and you cant knock her for not only pushing herself physically but also facing up to the mental challenge side of it as well, a fear of open water and she goes for a swim across Lake Windermere :shock: which is apparently deliberately set as the "breaking point" challenge. chapeau to her for doing any of it in the current weather there are better times of the year to be cycling down from Scotland for sure, though I dont think the having to pedal down hill to keep going bit is only confined to weather like weve got at the moment.

so thats the good side, where I think the bad side is coming from, is in maybe just over estimating the level or quality of back up support theyve got with them. We naturally assume something akin to pro cycling team level support and planning, but it maybe no more than what you get on a sportive and they really are out there abit in the unknown to a degree with just an Espace and camera poking out the back for some company with a few odd spares and thats why its caused them alot more problems.

I mean I am surprised 6 days into the challenge bike fit/saddle fit seems to be an issue, based on the aches and some of the pains the media are delighting in highlighting, or that the kit theyve got doesnt appear to be that wind and or rain proof or chosen particularly for the colder conditions.

Dandelionclock30

Respect to Davina for actually doing something hard and challenging. I usually cant bare celeb presenters shouting at the public to give money whilst they do virtually nothing with vast personal wealths. I think when they have given all their money away only then should they be pestering the public.
I think this has been hard and sets a good example to people like Dawn French and Jo Brand etc who really need to get off their backsides and do something.
Also I know how cold that swim would be and I honestly dont know how she did it. A mile and a half in 5 degree water, basically she could have died of hypothermia or cold water shock. The cycling will also have been difficult in these conditions. She looked to have plenty of Jackets- Gore and her bike is nice- a Beacon apparently so that will have helped, like its not rubbish. I think she seemed to be wearing the right things unlike the person above but in this weather you can still get very cold.
I've given a donation of £10.00 and Davina has gone up in my estimations.

Harrogate Velo50

To be fair anyone having a bit of a go at her needs to have a word with themselves. I am not a fan of her, but flipping neck she is no professional athlete and she is putting her self through a fair bit of hardship both physically and by the looks of it mentally. Bloody good for her and if it makes people like me donate for a good cause then all well and good

andy_f

I like her bum and if she is looking for someone to rub deep heat into it at the end of her challenge and bring the colour back to her cheeks, then i'm the man.

BillyMansell

Harrogate Velo50 wrote:

To be fair anyone having a bit of a go at her needs to have a word with themselves. I am not a fan of her, but flipping neck she is no professional athlete and she is putting her self through a fair bit of hardship both physically and by the looks of it mentally. Bloody good for her and if it makes people like me donate for a good cause then all well and good

I haven't commented yet, and my thoughts aren't aimed at Davina in particular, but what I don't get is this culture of celebrity self-flagellation and martyrdom that we have to witness each year. They're celebrities , they can raise money for good causes without having to prove to someone, probably themselves, how humble they can be.

I'm just wondering if next year we'll have Jack Dee going for a record of forty days of self-harming and suicide attempts to raise money for children's mental health charities.

Harrogate Velo50

Point taken Billy and can understand that view, but let's not look into it too deeply. Think lot of us cyclists are a bit up ourselves and on occasions look down on some non sub 7.30 Fred Whitton finishers and think there not worthy.

She is no elite athlete and has put herself through a lot. Like to think I am quite fit but not sure I could have done it. At end of day she is raising awareness of people less fortunate than a lot of us and kudos for that.

And Andy........yeah fair shout that

bikes`n`guns

just chatting to the missus about this, and you can`t deny, it`s a fair achievement, but

I cannot stand the woman. The very fact that it`s her makes me believe it was easier than she makes out.

Horrible person

tyred&weary

BillyMansell wrote:

I'm just wondering if next year we'll have Jack Dee going for a record of forty days of self-harming and suicide attempts to raise money for children's mental health charities.

I'd donate a tenner to see that.

cornerblock

Bikes`n`guns wrote:

Horrible person

Is this an opinion based on actually knowing her or one that you've come to from watching your TV?

chrisaonabike

Bikes`n`guns wrote:

I cannot stand the woman. The very fact that it`s her makes me believe it was easier than she makes out.

Horrible person

And here we have it folks, British fairness and decency in action.