Geraint Thomas raises more than £325,000 for NHS following 36-hour "Zwift Shifts"

2018 Tour de France champion completes 12-hour rides on three consecutive days to raise money for NHS Charities Together

Alex Broadway/ASO/SWPix.com

Published: April 18, 2020 at 9:57 am

Geraint Thomas has raised more than £325,000 for the NHS after completing three 12-hour rides in three days on Zwift.

The 2018 Tour de France champion's "NHS Zwift Shifts" saw Thomas log 36 hours on the turbo trainer in his garage in Wales, starting at 7:30am on 15, 16 and 17 April to raise funds for NHS Charities Together.

"No exaggeration, the last two hours were the hardest I have ever had on the bike," Thomas told the BBC after completing the final 12-hour stint. "I could barely sit down."

Each shift was streamed live on Thomas and Team Ineos' Facebook pages, while other riders could join the 33-year-old along the way for a virtual group ride on Zwift.

NHS Charities Together represents 140 charities, currently working with the NHS on a Covid-19 appeal.

Donations can still be made via Thomas' Go Fund Me page.

Thomas continued: "I am going to have a week off to recover from this. It was 36 hours in the saddle over three days which would normally be a big training week for me.

"The longest ride I have done on the road is eight hours and 20 minutes in a group and that was with a coffee stop.

"On a turbo the longest was three hours and there is a lot of difference from that and riding outside where you have the scenery and downhill."