The parents of murdered MP Jo Cox have said their daughter would be “so pleased” at the record number of women taking part in a 288-mile bike ride in her memory.
Around 80 riders will cycle from Yorkshire to London this week for the annual Jo Cox Way event.
Organisers say this includes 31 women, aged from their 20s to their 70s – more than ever before in the event’s eight years.
The ride aims to keep alive the legacy of the former Batley & Labour MP, who was shot and stabbed by a far-right terrorist in June 2016, by promoting community spirit and supporting causes that were important to her, the team said.
Mrs Cox’s parents, Jean and Gordon Leadbeater, said: “We are absolutely delighted that so many people, from so many different backgrounds, are making such an amazing effort to remember Jo.
“She’d be so pleased that so many women, of all ages, are getting on their bikes.
“The ride showcases Jo’s values of fairness and respect; there’s no better way of highlighting her belief that we have ‘more in common’.
‘The bike ride gets more popular every year. It’s really important for our family because it shows what an impact Jo had, and still has, on different individuals and communities.”
Mrs Cox’s sister, Kim Leadbeater, who was elected to represent her sister’s old seat in a 2021 by-election, has taken part in every ride since 2016.
The Jo Cox Way ride is a great chance to meet and talk to people from different backgrounds, and it’s brilliant that cyclists are joining together yet again 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— Kim Leadbeater, sister of Jo Cox
She said: “Cycling has enormous physical and mental health benefits, and also 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, and it’s brilliant that cyclists are joining together yet again 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 Jo Cox Way was started in 2016, a few weeks after Mrs Cox’s murder, by North Yorkshire businessman and keen cyclist Sarfraz Mian.
The mixed ability cyclists will set off on Wednesday July 26 from the Princess Mary Stadium in Cleckheaton, in the constituency, and ride 288 miles over five days, climbing 15,000ft, before arriving in London on Sunday.
Anyone wishing to sponsor the riders can go to https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/jocoxway2023
