Jacob Hill-Gowing has managed to ride the distance of the Tour de France on a stationary exercise bike for charity in just 41 days. With the current coronavirus pandemic stopping the 1,400 vendors of the Big Issue magazine from continuing to earn an income, 28-year-old Hill-Gowing looked to raise funds for those who sell the publication.
He set himself the fundraising target of £5,000 with his contribution being that he would cycle the full 3,500km length of the Tour de France in 41 days on an exercise bike in his one-bedroom London flat.
Pledging to ride the distance of the Tour without actually knowing how long that would be, Hill-Gowing embarked on his challenge in late March and completed his 'Le Tour de Flat' last Friday raising over £15,000 in the process.
The finish line also came three weeks earlier than his original finish date of 22nd May as Hill-Gowing found himself able to push on for longer distances as the challenge progressed.
Talking to The Big Issue on completion, Hill-Gowing spoke of his surprise at how far he had come from the start of the challenge.
'It’s mental. Just thinking 40 days ago I was doing the first 45km and now I managed to save a little bit in the locker for that sprint finish and the final run to the end,' said Hill-Gowing.
'I just want to give a big shout out to everyone who has supported me in the last 40-odd days and a big shout out to Stevie and all The Big Issue vendors and all of the people at The Big Issue and The Big Issue Foundation.
Along the way, Hill-Gowing was encouraged along by the likes of Geraint Thomas and the BBC News team who joined him over the phone.
Hill-Gowing also shared a message of hope to the vendors of the magazine currently unable to work.
'To all The Big Issue vendors out there: don’t lose hope that no one is in your corner because people do care. We want to make sure that everyone, no matter where you are in society, no matter where you come from, gets through this virus and lockdown and gets looked after.
'That’s the reason behind this.'
At the time of writing, the fundraiser is still active and you can donate here: justgiving.com/le-tour-de-flat
Image: The Big Issue