A 77-YEAR-old woman is getting on her bike in memory of murdered MP Jo Cox.
Kath Lyons, of Glusburn, near Keighley, is amongst 81 cyclists taking part in the annual Jo Cox Way ride, from Yorkshire to London.
She is the oldest participant in the 280-mile event, which will set off from the Princess Mary Stadium, Cleckheaton, on Wednesday, July 26, and arrive in the capital four days later.
It is the second time Kath has been part of the initiative.
"I enjoyed it so much last year I wanted to do it again," she says.
"It was a tough challenge, but people couldn’t have been more supportive.
"I was 67 when I got on a bike, to try to get myself fitter. It beats any happy pill!"
The first Jo Cox Way ride was held in 2016, just a few weeks after the murder of the Batley & Spen MP.
It was founded by North Yorkshire businessman and keen cyclist, Sarfraz Mian.
"The ride is a big challenge but there is real warmth and participants make lasting friendships," he says.
"Nearly half of our cyclists will be making the long journey for the first time, but I know that our returning riders will help them along.
"I never met Jo, but her determination to create a fairer, kinder world for all really touched me in 2016 and is now more relevant than ever."
Jo's sibling, Kim Leadbeater, who was elected MP to represent her sister’s old constituency in 2021, has been involved in every ride since it started and she is particularly pleased that 32 of this year's participants are women.
"Cycling isn’t just for middle-aged men in Lycra – it’s for everyone!" she says.
"It has enormous physical and mental health benefits, and helps combat loneliness and isolation, causes Jo was passionate about.
"The Jo Cox Way ride is a great chance to meet and talk to people from different backgrounds, with cyclists joining together to celebrate the fact that we have ‘far more in common than that which divides us’, as Jo said in her maiden speech in Parliament."
The ride raises funds for the Jo Cox Foundation, and anyone wishing to donate can do so at justgiving.com/campaign/jocoxway2023.
All places on this year's ride are now taken, but cyclists are invited to participate virtually if they wish, by pledging miles.
For further information and to sign up, go to thejocoxway.org.uk/pledge.
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