Jo Cox memorial bike ride: 80 cyclists cross finish line

About 80 cyclists crossed the finish line of a 288-mile bike ride from West Yorkshire to London in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox.

Her parents Jean and Gordon Leadbeater said they were "elated" to see the riders complete the challenge from Cleckheaton to London.

They said it was the "epitome" of what she believed in - that people have more in common than what divides them.

The group, which included 31 women, arrived at London Bridge on Sunday.

They had set off on Wednesday from the Princess Mary Athletics Stadium in Cleckheaton in the Batley and Spen constituency Mrs Cox represented until her murder in 2016.

The riders were aged between 17 and 77 and were welcomed by samba drums and cheers of family and friends, having climbed 15,000ft (4,572m) along the route.

The ride aims to keep alive the legacy of the former Labour MP, who was shot and stabbed by a far-right terrorist, by promoting community spirit and supporting causes that were important to her, organisers said.

Mrs Leadbeater said: "This is actually the epitome of Jo's 'more in common'.

"There are people on the ride, different nationalities, religion, age, and they all come together, pull together, help each other along, different abilities, but no-one is left behind. They get on so well together.

"It's just a tremendous event."

Mr Leadbeater said: "We're really proud that it's built up and that it's using Jo's name.

"That sums her up and she would have been delighted by this."

His wife added that Mrs Cox would also have been delighted by the number of women who joined the ride this year - making up about 40% of the group - as her daughter was "always a great believer in a 50:50 Parliament".

Mrs Cox's sister Kim Leadbeater, who was elected to represent her sister's old seat in a 2021 by-election, said: "The bike ride is everything Jo believed in - the fact that when we've got a shared goal, when we've got a shared vision, we are much stronger.

"The message is the really important bit, you know, we've had people cycle on this ride who have lost people.

"We've had people, a young lad who's only 17 from Yorkshire, doing the ride. His dad did it last year, his dad got cancer, and his son wanted to do it this year to honour his dad and he's just met his dad down here in floods of tears."

Sarfraz Mian, who set up the bike ride, said: "We've been able to embrace what Jo represented and kind of make it into a living embodiment really of that spirit."

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