Cyclists line up for annual Yorkshire to London bike ride in memory of MP Jo Cox

The biggest turn out yet is set to line up for a charity bike ride in memory of the murdered MP Jo Cox which covers 280 miles from Yorkshire to London.

This will be the seventh year that the event, the Jo Cox Way, has taken place and, as much as it is about the miles and the cycling, it is also about bringing people from all walks of life and mixed cycling abilities together for the same cause.

They will set off on Wednesday July 27 from the Princess Mary Stadium in Cleckheaton, in the Batley and Spen constituency where Ms Cox was the MP, and ride to Buxton in Derbyshire for the first day.

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Riders will arrive in London on Sunday July 31 with further overnight stops in Market Bosworth in Leicestershire, Milton Keynes and Uxbridge along the way.

Kim Leadbeater and fellow cyclists as they set off from Cleckheaton last year for the 2021 Jo Cox Way bike ride.Kim Leadbeater and fellow cyclists as they set off from Cleckheaton last year for the 2021 Jo Cox Way bike ride.
Kim Leadbeater and fellow cyclists as they set off from Cleckheaton last year for the 2021 Jo Cox Way bike ride.

Money raised will go to the Jo Cox Foundation.

Kim Leadbeater MP, was elected to represent her sister’s old constituency last year and has taken part in every ride since 2016.

Read More: Abuse of MPs not 'going away' or 'getting any better' says Batley and Spen's Kim LeadbeaterShe said: “The Jo Cox Way ride is a great chance for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to connect and engage with one another. The last two years have been tough for us all, with so many people affected by Covid, lockdowns and the increasing cost of living.

"Despite all this, it’s brilliant to see people’s commitment to making a difference has grown stronger, with cyclists joining together for a seventh time to celebrate the fact that we have ‘far more in common than that which divides us’ – words from Jo’s maiden speech in Parliament.”

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MP Jo Cox was murdered in her constituency of Batley and Spen in 2016. The Jo Cox way bike ride has been set up in her memory to back causes that Ms Cox championed during her work.MP Jo Cox was murdered in her constituency of Batley and Spen in 2016. The Jo Cox way bike ride has been set up in her memory to back causes that Ms Cox championed during her work.
MP Jo Cox was murdered in her constituency of Batley and Spen in 2016. The Jo Cox way bike ride has been set up in her memory to back causes that Ms Cox championed during her work.

The Jo Cox Way has taken place every year since her murder in June 2016 and even when the pandemic halted original plans, cyclists took part in a virtual ride instead, getting on their bikes and pledging miles.

The first target was 25,000 miles – the distance around the globe – yet some went the extra mile or five thousand and cycled more than 30,000. Last year's virtual target was 50,000 miles and some families, community groups and individuals clocked up 93,000 miles between them.

This year is also bringing a mixed group of cyclists including 76-year-old Kath Lyons from Glusburn near Keighley who is doing it for the first time and qualified Imam, Irfan Mohmed who has done each ride since 2018.

Ms Lyons said that despite a bout of COVID she has upped her training over the last couple of months and is looking forward to the challenge.

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Pedal power as cyclists gathered at the start line to last year's ride. This year's event, which starts on July 27 is the biggest so far with more than 70 entrants.Pedal power as cyclists gathered at the start line to last year's ride. This year's event, which starts on July 27 is the biggest so far with more than 70 entrants.
Pedal power as cyclists gathered at the start line to last year's ride. This year's event, which starts on July 27 is the biggest so far with more than 70 entrants.

She said: "Like everyone, I was affected by what happened to Jo Cox and I already know the route from driving it. I thought I could never cycle it, but then I wondered...and I signed up. I have been cycling for ten years and have done a couple of Coast to Coasts but nothing as difficult as this will be because of the route. I am looking forward to it because it gives me impetus to up the training and get myself fit."

Ms Lyons will be joined by Irfan Mohmed of Dewsbury who admits at his first attempt he "wasn't a cyclist". He had signed up in 2018 to support a group of local youngsters doing it as part of their Duke of Edinburgh award. The following year he signed up to be part of the support crew, did the virtual events during COVID, ended up working for Ms Leadbeater as a constituency support officer, and is back in the saddle for what he says will be a bigger and better event.

He added: "There are lots of bike rides if it is just cycling. The reason people do this is because of the message it brings. It is not just about riding your bike for four or five days it is about meeting people you might not otherwise engage with, communities who you would not normally and having conversations along the way. In the years that I have been involved I have made friends and links with people I didn't know.

The Jo Cox Foundation

The Foundation backs a number of schemes and links with other agencies and organisations. For example, the Great Get Together which encourages communities to host events that bring people together on a weekend near what would have been Ms Cox's birthday in June and the Loneliness Commission which Ms Cox set up shortly after becoming an MP and following her death has been carried on by MPs Seema Kennedy and Rachel Reeves.

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