Jo Cox cycle ride 'inspirational' - sister

The sister of murdered West Yorkshire MP Jo Cox has praised cyclists taking part in a 288-mile bike ride in her honour as "inspirational".

For the past nine years, riders have travelled from Ms Cox's home town of Batley to London - symbolising her journey to becoming a politician in Westminster.

The ride raises money for the Jo Cox Foundation, which was set up after the former Batley & Spen Labour MP was fatally shot and stabbed by a far-right terrorist in June 2016.

Kim Leadbeater, Ms Cox's sister, who is now the Labour MP for Spen Valley, said: "It's everything Jo would have loved."

"The Jo Cox Way is a really powerful part of Jo's legacy and my mum and dad and I wish all the 2024 cyclists the very best of luck for a fantastic journey," Ms Leadbeater added.

The 83 riders set off from Princess Mary Athletics Stadium in Cleckheaton on Wednesday and are scheduled to arrive in London on Sunday.

Stops along the way will include Buxton in Derbyshire, Market Bosworth in Leicestershire, Cranfield in Buckinghamshire and Egham in Surrey.

Organisers said the youngest cyclist taking part in this year's event was 16, while the oldest was 78.

For the first time, there were more women than men taking part, they added.

Ms Leadbeater said: "Cycling has enormous physical and mental health benefits and also helps combat loneliness and isolation, which Jo cared deeply about.

"She was also a passionate campaigner for gender equality, so it's wonderful to see so many women riding this year.

"Cycling isn't just for middle-aged men in Lycra, it's for everyone. These riders are inspirational."

One of the women cycling this year is project manager Sam Hunter, 52, from Bradford, who only learned to ride a bike during the Covid pandemic.

She said: "I'd never used gears and I couldn't understand what the instructor was on about when he told me to change gears.

"But I persisted and got to grips with it."

She added: "I've come a long way since then, met lots of new people and cycling has opened up a whole new world for me."

Another rider, Steve Fox, is taking part with his "training and riding companion" Clyde - a toy monkey.

Clyde was "a man of few words", said Mr Fox.

"I just thought he would be a welcome addition to the ride and a bit of a distraction on the hills."

Su Moore, CEO of the Jo Cox Foundation, told the BBC the event enabled the organisation to continue to build a legacy for "all the things Jo believed in".

Ms Moore said that in the MP's first parliamentary speech she had said "we have more in common than that which divides us".

"The bike ride is a brilliant example of that in practice as the riders are from all backgrounds and all walks of life," Ms Moore said.

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