Blackmailed Into The Longest Ride Of My Life. How I Survived 350 KM

After being (lovingly) blackmailed by Simon Mottram, Dan took on the longest and hardest ride of his life, for charity: 350 km (220 miles) from Manchester to London, with over 3,500 metres of climbing — and his last ultra-endurance ride was 14 years ago!
Join him on this epic cycling challenge as he pushes his limits, puts a recent 12% FTP gain to the ultimate test, and battles through the pain — all for an incredible cause. Alongside 200 other cyclists, Daniel Lloyd rode to raise money for Ambitious about Autism, an amazing charity working to create a world where autistic children and young people can be themselves and realise their ambitions.
From surprise messages from Fabian Cancellara, Mark Beaumont and Robbie McEwen to a full bike check of his Canyon Endurace and expert nutrition tips from Precision Fuel & Hydration — this is the full story of one of the toughest, but most rewarding, days Dan has ever spent on a bike.

00:00 Blackmailed Into The Longest Ride Of My Life
00:48 Surprise Messages from Cycling Legends
03:18 How I Ended Up Here
04:36 Equipment Prep for riding 350 km
06:43 The Longest Ride Begins: Manchester to London
08:24 The first 40 km: Starting Too Fast
09:27 FTP Test on Zwift
11:23 Back on the Road & First Feed Stop
13:13 Why We’re Riding: Ambitious about Autism
17:05 230 km to go
19:46 Nutrition Tips for Ultra-Endurance from Precision Fuel & Hydration
22:10 How I Felt at 220 km
23:11 New Canyon Endurace CF SLX & Full Setup
24:46 Quick update & Thank You for Donating
27:24 296 km In — Brutal!
29:27 The Finish — Thanks, Simon Mottram!
30:28 Final Stat & Thank You 🫶

This ride was for Ambitious about Autism. You can still support their life-changing work and find out more about the event below!
► Donate to Ambitious about Autism: https://ambitious220.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/fundraisers/daniellloyd/manchester-to-london-2025
► Sign Up For Next Year’s Manchester-London Ride: 
https://ambitious220.ambitiousaboutautism.org.uk/event/manchester-to-london-2026/register-interest-2026?preview=true

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350 km from Manchester to London. 3 and a half thousand meters of climbing, a whole lot of suffering, and hundreds of thousands of pounds raised for a good cause by the 200 riders taking part. This is what happened on the longest ride of my life. [Music] I would tell you what parts of my body are hurting, but there are some parts that hurting that I’ve never felt before, and I don’t really know what they’re called. [Music] Oh. [Music] Oh, sigh. Hello, mates. Lloydy, you made it to Manchester. I have indeed arrived. Yeah.
How you feeling?
I have to admit, I am feeling quite nervous. I thought you would be. It’s a big ride, mate. Anyway, I’ve got a surprise for you. I’ve managed to get some messages of support for you. You want to see them? Oh, wow. You didn’t have to do that, mate. I’d love to.
No worries. I’ll send them over.
Cheers. Why are you in the office at the weekend, by the way? Well, I’m not, am I? Cuz we’re pre-recording this. So, yeah, the editors will will just do their thing. Oh, yeah. Yeah, I forgot that. All right, let’s take a look. That’s Fabian Kangelara. Hey, Dan. It’s Fabian here. Hey, really nice uh what you have raised for charity and uh you know what? I hope you’re better on long rides than on cross country skiing like we explored together in undermat or you fold on your butts. So hey, all the best and cheering for you and thanks. It’s quite nice, wouldn’t it? I think I wasn’t that bad at cross country skiing. That was the next one. Hey Dan, it’s uh Mark Bowmont here and uh I wanted to take time out of my busy schedule to wish you the very best of luck this weekend. I know it’s the biggest ride you’ve ever done on a bike, but a man of of your pedigree. I mean, you’re going to go so far. You’re going to nearly go as far as I did for one day. Uh and then I did that every day for 78 days. So, I mean, it’s it’s it’s it’s just amazing. And uh I’m I’m sending you uh every every wish and good luck. And during my incredibly busy weekend, I’ll just be be thinking of you all the time. I guess that I guess it puts it into perspective, doesn’t it? Craig, you did more than that every day for 78 days. Oh, we got Robbie Mchuan.
Hey Dan, Robbie here, mate. I heard you’re doing this really big ride and so I thought I’d go and check out your straa check the weekly kilometer count to uh just know if you’re prepared or not and judge you by the number of kilometers you’ve done. I want to wish you good luck cuz you’re going to need it. I think they were nice messages to get. I’ve trained quite hard. The last time I did a ride of more than 6 hours was in 2011, 14 years ago. But today, I’m about to double that, maybe even more. But for good reason. A lot of you have dipped into your own pocket and donated to a very worthy cause after I was blackmailed. So, I got a text last week from Simon Mum, the rapper founder. Do you reckon he would join me for the Manchester to London ride next June? It’s 350 km in a day. It would seem a shame not to put his newfound fitness to good use. And in answer to your question, Mr. Simon Motum, the answer is no. If he says no, tell him it’s for charity. Oh. So, here we are just over 6 months later. I, along with 200 other riders, I’m about to head down to London, starting here in Manchester. Now, although the aim of £15,000 has been surpassed, now that I’m here, I would like to try and raise as much as I can for the Ambitious About Autism charity. There’ll be some information about what they do later on in this video, but at various points throughout it, there’s going to be a QR code on screen that will take you directly to the fundraising page. If I can raise more money, it’ll make all the suffering worth it. Okay, last night I did my final bit of prep. Right, equipment and clothing check. This is partly for my benefit, so I know I’ve got everything I need. Bit late now that I’ve arrived in Manchester, but nevertheless, uh, shoes, and yes, I have put them on the bed, and no, I wouldn’t do that at home, but we’re in a hotel. My precision nutrition. So, I’ve got three of the 300 g flow gel uh, gels there. And I’ve also got one in my top tube bag, plus the four bar chews. So, in total, I’ve worked out I’ve got,440 g of carbs to get me through tomorrow. uh plus the tabs here to keep me hydrated throughout the day. And onto the clothing. Now, the weather did look like it was going to be excruciatingly hot in the leadup to this uh event, but the forecast now suggests it might be a bit cooler, so I’ve come a bit more prepared. Uh short sleeve under vest, arm warmers, shorts, jersey, cap I probably won’t wear, but available at shop.globalcycling.com. Always thinking. I’ve got a couple of choice of rain jackets. One short sleeved, uh one long sleeve. I’ll put one of those in my back pocket tomorrow. Hopefully I won’t need them. A helmet, of course. Then I’ve got some spares here and tools. I’ve got a chain tool I’m going to put in my saddle bag there. Uh the mini pump I have in my back pocket. I’ve got a multi-tool here, even though there’s one in the top tube, but easy access in my pocket. Uh got my Wahoo heart rate monitor with the core temperature sensor on there. Couple of pairs of gloves. Choice just in case it gets cool over the first couple of climbs. Then the interesting part, right, I’ve got three choices of socks. So, I’ve got one used pair, that’s for if it looks like it might rain tomorrow, I get dirty. One brand new pair, that’s if it looks like it’s going to be dry the whole day, so going to be fresh white. And then I’ve got these. These are Aerero socks, which I wasn’t considering using until I saw a meme on Instagram a couple of days ago that Alex Payton sent to me, which talked about the Manchester London charity ride and how serious everyone is. So, I want to be top 10. I think I might have to use those. And then finally, this h thish this is my clubbing shirt ready for tomorrow night. Gave it to S to iron, but he didn’t do a particularly good job. I do also have jeans as well. I won’t be clubbing in a shirt and a shammy. So, I am ready. I’ve done the training. I’ve got all the right equipment and nutrition. I’ve got the route plugged into my new Wahoo Rome with all the data I could possibly need. And now I’ve got 15 minutes to the off.
I’m feeling fine. Not something to get nervous about the start, I’d imagine, of a 12-hour ride. I might be proven wrong as they sprint out of the blocks, but I’m hoping it’s like a fairly steady first 8 hours. It’s the day that none of us have been waiting for. Dan is back on a bike. And we know this that he’s back on a bike because he’s only gone and told us about a thousand times. a bit like a scratch record. Although he can’t break any, of course. Anyway, ahead of him today, the longest ride he’s ever attempted, but of course, we knew that because he hasn’t stopped banging on about it for quite some time. Yes, he’ll suffer at the hands of others with little to show for his efforts at the end. So, this will be a trip down memory lane for him. We join the action in what appears to be the neutral zone, but I’m hearing on race radio that he has actually started. So, this is fullon race pace. we’re looking at right now like poetry in motion. Slow motion, you understand? With that poetry have been written by AI about 10 years ago. So, we’re off for a quick commercial break now. But don’t go anywhere because we’ll be right back with you in about 13 hours time. some local fans out. [Music] The first 40 km were actually a lot faster and harder than I’d expected. I started with the fast group and really wanted to hang on to them, but I wasn’t particularly comfortable over the first big climb of the day. Was excitement and adrenaline getting the better of me? I think we’re on the second big climb of the day.
Pace seems a little more sensible. Uh, I was feeling quite good about what I was doing so far today. And I met Benny. Hello.
Who rode up from London yesterday. Left at half 4, got to Manchester at 6. Back on the bike at half five today to go the other way. I feel a bit now. [Music] [Applause] Very cool. [Music] Okay, a brief interlude from today’s ride now because 3 days ago I repeated an FTP test on Zift to see how much I’ve progressed. Three, two, one, go. Those of you who watched my initial test done on the grade climb on Zift will know that I started off a bit too hard and paid for it at the end. An amateur mistake that I was determined not to make a second time. So, I started at around 330 W, hoping that with my improved fitness, I’d be able to sustain that for the duration. [Music] 5 minutes in, my heart rate was up to 162, but I still felt in control. Not enough to raise the power, but enough to think I’d judge things better. [Music] And I was right. My best 1 minute, 2 minute, and 3 minute powers all came at the end of the test. [Music] pace it better. Can’t talk right now. Leave a message after the tone. Hi Dan, it’s Simon Jones here. Just to let you know, you had an average power of 328 watts for 13 minutes 20 seconds in your test. And that gives you a new FTP power of 290 W, uh, which is a 12% improvement over your baseline from 9 weeks ago. Fantastic work. Well done. I’m genuinely quite happy with that improvement. Uh, so a massive thank you to Simon Jones for his coaching and his training plan. And I guess to my own body for responding to the stimulus. Yeah. 290 watts FTP. I guess I better push on. [Applause] This is going to be my first turn on the front. [Applause] [Music] Come on up. [Music] [Applause] I don’t think we’re going to be stopping very long by the looks of the urgency. Just drag this lot to the first feed stop with a big turn on the front. [Music] I’m going to get dropped at the feed zone. Hold on a sec. [Music] Um, there was a little bit of confusion in the group as to which way we’re going and that’s the only reason I’ve ended up on the front. I’m going to keep it short with Reese here and sensible. Clear. [Music] Carlton was right. I am currently suffering at the hands of others. This group is far faster than I was expecting. So, whilst I continue to chew my stem, I wanted to tell you where your donations have been going. I caught up with Dany Leman Hill to find out what ambitious about autism does and what exactly autism is. All right. Can we start with just what autism is because I think everyone’s heard of it but there’s probably not a huge amount of understanding amongst the general population as to what people that that have autism have to deal with on a day-to-day basis.
You’re dead right. So lots of people have heard of most people have heard of autism but they don’t properly understand what it means to be autistic and have an autistic young person in your family. So autism is a developmental disability and typically it affects the way a person communicates or experiences the world around them. So there’s a phrase if you know one person with autism you know one person with autism because actually every autistic person has different needs different strengths. Some people are quite academically able and have the potential to do really well at school and some people have other needs and might be non or minimally speaking. But if there’s one consistent thing that affects all autistic people, it’s the barriers that society puts in their way.
I was going to say that must be where the charity comes in. So what exactly is the work that you you do at Ambitious about autism?
So we provide education for autistic young people. We’ve got a range of schools and colleges. We provide employability support, health and well-being support. We run a big youth network and we run a big parent carer network. But we also campaign for um to protect the rights that autistic young people rely on and we look for opportunities to um stand with autistic young people and help them fulfill their uh ambitions.
Fantastic. And that’s where your donations are going to. Um, this ride has been going for some time and it came from Simon Motum, the founder of Rafa, whose son is autistic. I know you’ve helped him out immensely over the last however many years, long time I think it is. Um, what was the idea behind the ride? I know there’s a specific reason it’s it’s so hard.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I said earlier there are lots of barriers that autistic young people and their families face. And Simon really wanted to give people a sense of the challenge of bringing up an autistic young person, supporting them fighting all those barriers. And I mean, that’s a a key word. I think if you’re trying to help your child find a school that’s right for them, support them with their health and well-being, help them into employment, it is just a fight because there are so many barriers in the way and Simon really wanted to evoke a sense of that challenge. Um, I think it’s all about bringing a community of people together who have a shared purpose and work together, are supported along the way, show real grit and determination to achieve a common goal. Yeah, it’s um it’s a brilliant event and I’ve spoken to a lot of people who’ve got autistic children themselves and the reason they’re here is because they know what this ride means. And I remember Simon saying at the launch event last November at the Rafer HQ in London that also part of the idea is that those of us that haven’t got autism get a sense of how hard it is to live with it when you get towards the end of such a grueling ride.
Yeah, exactly. And we have autistic riders as well. So we have lots of parents of autistic young people. We have autistic people themselves and um it’s always really powerful to hear their stories because you know they’ve probably had to battle all sorts of what have felt like insurmountable challenges throughout their life yet they’re here today doing this ride.
Well, thank you so much for doing what you’re doing at the charity and um yeah I look forward to the rest of the ride.
Yes. Good luck. [Music] [Applause] So, 130ks done. What’s that? 230 to go. Still like a one day classic. Average speed 31.7 ks an hour. for uh people that prefer miles per hour. That’s almost 20. I’ve got a horrible feeling I’m going to regret this. [Music] And we’re off again. These feed stops feel like the tour to France from 1910 where I used to go and raid stores for food then run away or ride away. Got some youngster on the front drilling it after the second feed stop. I hope he blows his later. [Music] We are exactly halfway through. 177ks cuz the ride is 354 in total. Actually, not 350. Um, so going into the unknown for me now, cuz I haven’t done a ride longer than this in distance or time in a long, long time. What did I say at the start of the video? 2011. Been all right. Starting to sting a bit. See how we go. [Music] So, we have had quite a lot of wind today and we’re going in the same direction. The wind’s in the same direction. constantly from the right. So, I have been constantly on the left. It’s not really cheated, I don’t think. Just being smart. But yeah, you don’t want to sit behind me because um I’m not giving much shelter. [Music] The 70 km between the second and third feed stops was really quite hard and fast. We averaged 34.7 kmph, almost 22 mph. Maybe this wouldn’t be a 14-hour ride after all, unless I completely blow up towards the end. So, we are at the third feed station, which famously serves fish and chips, which I’ve been really looking forward to. Now seems like an appropriate time to go back to Precision Fuel and Hydration, where a few weeks ago I spoke to a man called Lindsay about what the best nutrition should be for today. Lindsay, I need your help.
Okay.
So, this event that I’m doing, I am estimating it’s going to be around 14 hours of riding time.
Mhm.
I might be underestimating the uh severity of it and overestiming my own capabilities, but let’s go with with 14 hours. If I was a professional, let’s start with that. What would your recommendation be for fueling? I guess this is something like more than an iron man, isn’t it? In terms of duration for the top people, how many carbs per hour in what form would you recommend for that sort of person?
For that sort of person, for an elite, you might be looking above 90 g an hour. So maybe towards 120. So the recommendations would be yeah, 90 to 120 for that sort of person.
Okay. And then for a non- elites person like myself, how how much does it change? You know, I’m half joking, but it’s a long time to be taking on purely sort of sports drinks, gels, etc. um as opposed to some solid food through the middle and normal food because there’s a fish and chip stop apparently sort of threequarters of the way through.
I wouldn’t go near that. Oh, really?
No.
Yeah. I was looking forward to that. So, what what would your strategy be for somebody like me bearing in mind that
again if I had to estimate my average power for that distance, I think it would probably be 140 150 watt, which is a long way from what an elite person would do for that duration. For this sort of duration, we sort of we it would the recommendations would be anywhere from 60 to 90 grams per hour. And that would sort of be based on what someone’s capable of ingesting comfortably um recently. So through gut training and things like that.
And in terms of why I shouldn’t have fish and chips,
it’s mainly the the oil content or fat content of that that could potentially upset your stomach when you go back to exercising. Okay? Okay. So, postevent, go and do what you want, but potentially during, I’d recommend avoiding things that are very oily.
Okay. Well, I think I’m feeling fairly confident now.
So, no fish and chips, 90 g an hour, jobs good in.
As long as you practice 90 g an hour.
Well, what if I practice fish and chips?
That may help. That may help.
Maybe I do that.
That’s the end of that then, I guess. I mean, to be fair, we’ve been going so blooming quick. The fish and chip van’s not even opened yet. So, it wasn’t an option. Uh, and I wasn’t going to have any because I do believe that modern nutrition does make a big difference. And I think the proof’s in the pudding for me today cuz what are we now? 220 km through. I’ve had about 700 g of carbohydrate mix. And although my legs are feeling it, I don’t feel like I’m lacking in energy at this point. So yeah, all good so far. I’ve got another massive gel in my back pocket ready for the next segment. And we’ve got 130 ks to go, which sounds quite manageable, doesn’t it? There’s a very generous couple in there that have been filling up our bottles and giving out ice creams. And the bloke knows GC. He’s like, “Dan Lloyd.” And the first thing he said to me was, “I thought you’d be more muscular after you’ve been going down the gym for a year.” His daughter’s like, “Dad, dad, you can’t say that.” Anyway, it’s very nice of them. I better go back down the gym, I think. [Music] Thought I’d just go through my bike quickly. A number of you that watched my last video, the final preparation video for this will have seen me talk you through it. But this is my brand new Canyon Endura CFSLX built for all day comfort, which is exactly what I need for a ride like today. It’s got a full Shimano 105 Di2 group set, which has been flawless so far in this ride. Uh the Elite wheels, which are not particularly deep. There’s been a lot of crosswinds today. I’ve noticed a few people struggling when we come out into an open section with the front wheels. So, these have been particularly good for that. I’ve got my Pirelli tires 700 by 30C. No punctures so far. Probably said that too soon. Up front, the Wahoo with the entire route in so I can see where we’re turning, but also where the climbs come, which I found really handy. There’s the bell on there, of course, as well. It’s the Rome version three. A couple of topic bags. So, two in a tubes in here, and that massive 300 g precision gel in a top tube bag there. I’ve got my radar on. I turned it off a little while ago because there’s normally some behind me in the group and don’t really need the light there towards the back. I also got a couple of extra-l large camel back insulated bottles partly for the capacity in terms of the liquid, but also because the forecast before today was for it to be 30 32° throughout. So, I thought it’d be nice to keep my liquids cool, but it’s been a much more reasonable 25°. So, yeah, handling well, feeling good, and so far no mechanicals on the bike or my body. [Music] Uh quick update. 247 km, 7 hours 36. Uh 174 watts average. It’s been hiding. Well, I have genuinely done a few turns on the front. Not just for the camera mainly, but not just for the camera. Um, but there have been other people doing a lot more work than me. I mean, I feel quite good. I just I’ve been a bit apprehensive about the distance, obviously, and how I would feel going past well, even 6 hours, let alone past 8 or 9 or 10. So, I’ve been a bit cautious and I’m going to smash it at the end. We’ll see. So far, so good. Uh, we are now 275 ks in, which means this is officially the longest ride I’ve ever done. And I’ve been banging on about it actually a thousand times. But here we are. And you won’t hear that again from me now until the finish. Uh, actually by duration we’re now the longest as well. 8 and 1 half hours in and I’m on the front. Look again. Another 30 second stint. So, the fourth and final feed stop. I have to say that section four was a bit more subdued. I think a few people are starting to feel it, including myself. So, I was particularly pleased it wasn’t as fast as the previous one. We’ll wait and see what happens on the final run in towards London because only takes one person, doesn’t it, to light it up, race for home. Everyone else starts to follow if they can. Don’t think I’m going to race. I am really quite feeling it at this point. Uh 282 km done, 8 hours 44 in the saddle, 173 watts average so far. I’ve been hiding quite well, but doing my turns in the front. As I said before, I’ve also been checking my phone. Uh quite a few people have donated to ambitious about autism on the charity pace today which has been wonderful to see and yeah thank you to all of you at home firstly for the original donations which got me to do this ride which I am thoroughly enjoying but for anyone that’s donated through this video as well. It means an awful lot to me. I know it means an awful lot to the charity as well. So thank you [Music] [Music] 296 ks in. That’s a Milano San Rama right there. Except it’s taken us 9 hours. It takes them six, but you know, good enough. I would tell you what parts of my body are hurting, but there are some parts that hurting that I’ve never felt before, and I don’t really know what they’re called. This last uh last section to London has been brutal. Oh, man. I am looking forward to getting to the finish. [Music] 21 km to go. That sounds really nice. Oh, there’s a few really annoying lumps and bumps on this last bit that would feel like nothing at the start of a ride, but right now they feel like climbing Montu from all three sides. Nearly there. Come on. [Music] [Music] Heat. [Music] [Music] [Music] But I have finished and I am finished. Uh, but I really enjoyed it. I mean, it’s nice spending uh 11 hours with a group like that that get on well together and work well together. More importantly, you just get to cruise along at a decent speed and there are some really strong guys in that group. So, a few thank yous. Uh, first is Simon Motum who’s the founder of Rafa, but more importantly now he’s the uh the guy that runs this event along with ambitious about autism. Uh it was basically him speaking to my boss Simon a few months ago about a year ago that eventually got me here and back on a bike and uh doing this ride here today. So I’ve enjoyed preparing for it and I enjoyed the ride itself. Not going to promise I’m ever going to do anything that long again, but you never know. And also a huge thank you to everyone that donated, not just today of course, but those that made the 15 grand up which kind of made me and forced me come along to this. Um, give me a few days to recover and then I’ll get back with you on something else.
Just before we finish, some final stats. With the help of the group I was in, I completed the ride in 10 hours 55 of riding time, giving an average speed of 32 km/h or 20 mph. Average heart rate was 128 and average power 173 W. All of which I was over the moon with. I exceeded my own expectations. Uh it was a really enjoyable day despite the pain and an amazing route. There was a large range of ability, age, and experience in the rides that took part on the day with some taking close to 20 hours to complete the ride. But everyone had the same aim, challenging themselves, finishing the ride, and raising money. Speaking of which, next year’s entries are open. So if you want a challenge and you want to raise some money for a good cause, click on the link that you’ll find below this video. I can’t recommend it highly enough.
Thank you very much indeed. Um, I might do another ride like this. Thank you again.