We are pleased to announce the 2023 Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride will take place over the August Bank Holiday weekend (25-28 August 2023) and raise funds to support the work of The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields with homeless and vulnerable people in central London. The Friends of the Connection at St Martin’s urgently needs funds to help more people make a fresh start away from the streets. In 2022, the Ride raised almost £20,000.
As in the pandemic, there’s a choice of options designed to reflect your cycling ability and also, if needs be, reflect the COVID guidelines that may be in place at the time.
THE TRADITIONAL ROUTE
The Connection is based a few yards from the site of one of the original Queen Eleanor crosses. 200 miles cycling from Harby near Lincoln, where Queen Eleanor died in 1290, and from there following the route of the Queen Eleanor Crosses to Charing Cross in London. The ride starts on Friday morning and ends at Westminster Abbey on Monday, followed by a celebration. Overnight stops are in Grantham, Geddington and Dunstable. Day cyclists are also welcome.
All meals and lots of cake are provided, plus transport for luggage and back up, with accommodation in church and village halls. 40 places are available. Regular cyclists aged 18 or over are welcome; 16 and 17-year old cyclists can take part if accompanied by a responsible adult. You will cycle in small groups chosen according to speed, led by a cyclist who is familiar with the route. These arrangements may be reviewed in the light of the latest COVID situation.
CYCLE 200 MILES CLOSE TO HOME
The challenges of the past couple of years have meant that some cyclists stayed at home but still committed to cycling 200 miles in aid of those on the street. We are offering this option again in 2023. Even if you can’t join the Group Ride, you can still take part and help support the Connection’s work.
At home you can set your own cycling goal. One fundraiser did 200 miles in a day, whilst two young boys, aged 6 and 8, completed 200 miles in their summer holidays.
FUNDRAISING
We do not set a minimum sponsorship target, but almost £20,000 was raised last year with an average of about £1,000 per cyclist.
REGISTRATION FEE
The entry fee for the full ride is £95, but is £80 for those who sign up early! If you would like to join the Traditional route for a day, or a day and overnight, the fees are £10, or £20, respectively. The fee for taking part locally is £20.
To register, follow the link below. For more information, visit www.queeneleanorcycleride.org or find us on Facebook, or if you have any queries, please contact us at queeneleanorcycle@gmail.com.