Greg James greeted by Long Boi fans in York
Getty ImagesRadio 1's Greg James was greeted by fans of the late Long Boi as he completed the fifth day of his 630-mile tandem bike ride challenge in York.
The popular duck was regularly featured on James' breakfast show after gaining fame among students at the University of York, with James donning a mourning veil when a statue of the animal, who disappeared in 2023, was erected the following year.
James admitted it had been a "weird" day, adding: "Only a few hours ago I was on a tandem with Prince William. Now, I'm here with Long Boi and all the amazing students in York."
His 1,000km cycling challenge through England, Wales and Scotland has already raised more than £1m for Comic Relief.
"I don't know how I'm still going," James said when he reached the University of York, his final stop on day five, which began in Worksop about 60 miles (100km) away.
"I have just locked into some weird zone. There are people dressed as Pitbull, there are people dressed as Long Boi, it's too much."
The 40-year-old is due to conclude the challenge in Edinburgh on Friday, Red Nose Day.
So far he has been joined by several famous faces, including the Prince of Wales earlier on Tuesday.
Hundreds turned out to support James on the Yorkshire leg of his journey.
"It's so cool that this challenge has really captured people's imagination," he said.
"It's so nice that everyone's cheered up by it."
Among those gathered in York to show their support were Emily Long and Sophie Coulthard.
Long described James' latest fundraising efforts for Comic Relief as "incredible".
"I can't even wrap my head around 1,000km," said Coulthard.
James has pushed on with the challenge despite sharing the news last week that his dad had suffered a stroke when heart surgery did not go to plan.
"He really wanted me to do this challenge," the presenter wrote in an Instagram post.
"He knows that and he knows how much it means to me."
