Chris Froome beats Mel C & Kevin Pietersen in virtual bike race

What happens when you put four-time Tour de France winner Chris Froome in a virtual bike race against a group of sports stars and celebrities?

Well, he’ll win, of course – but it was a lot closer than you might think.

The celebrities in Sky Sports’ The Race – Wheels for Heroes, a charity race held on exercise bikes, were given a head start of up to 13 minutes on the 22.9km course and Froome had to hunt them down live on TV.

He only just managed it, pipping former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen and Spice Girl Mel C in the final 1km.

The other stars taking part included England women’s and Manchester City captain Steph Houghton, who finished fourth, singer Olly Murs, England second row Maro Itoje and former England cricketers Darren Gough and Andrew Flintoff.

The money raised will help provide free loan bikes for NHS workers.