'Jo Cox ride is everything my sister was about'

Yahoo

4 days ago

The sister of the murdered MP Jo Cox says an annual bike ride, set up in the weeks after her death, has helped to keep her family going.
Now in its 10th year, The Jo Cox Way will set off on Wednesday and see more than 100 cyclists pedal 290 miles from Yorkshire to London to remember the Batley and Spen MP, who was killed in 2016.
Participants raise money and awareness for the foundation named after the late politician, which works to tackle issues she was passionate about such as loneliness and isolation
"It is heart-warming to think Jo's name is at the forefront of something so positive," said sister Kim Leadbeater, who is now MP for Spen Valley.
"June and July is always an emotional time of year for us," Ms Leadbeater continued.
"We remember Jo's murder and that is very difficult but what keeps us going is events like the Joe Cox Way bike ride.
"In the face of such dreadful tragedy, people came together and showed that we do have more in common than that which divides us."
Ms Cox was killed in Birstall on 16 June 2016, a week before the EU referendum vote.
She had been on her way to a constituency surgery when Thomas Mair shot and stabbed the mother-of-two.
He was jailed for life following the attack.
"Jo's murder still is unbelievable" Ms Leadbeater said.
"It is still very, very difficult to comprehend what happened but the amount of positive energy created under the most horrific circumstances certainly kept us going as a family."
This year, riders will be wearing the purple, white and green colours of the suffragettes to celebrate the women's suffrage movement.
Of the 105 cyclists taking part, 58 are women - and Sam Foster is among them.
"I think it is a way of channelling and making sure that positive things come out of something that was so disastrous," the 58-year-old maths teacher said.
"It is not just about raising money, but actually being a part of it, bringing a load of us together from completely different backgrounds and we have to work together."
After setting off from the Princess Mary Stadium in Cleckheaton the mixed-ability cyclists will arrive in Buxton in Derbyshire later on Wednesday.
They are set to reach London on Sunday, July 27.
Tracy Vause is taking part in the ride for the first time after watching the race set off in recent years.
"I cannot actually believe that we are going from Cleckheaton to London; we know it is really hilly on day one so there is not really the shock there.
"I know it is going to be a challenge and you have got to really dig deep"
Ms Vause, from Gomersal, said the group would support each other through the challenge.
"It is not a race, there is not a prize for being first so I am really looking forward to it".
Ranging in ages from 21 to 79, cyclists taking part will climb a total of 13,000 feet during their journey.
The oldest rider on this year's route, Kath Lyons, from Sheffield, celebrates her 80th birthday just after event.
She is riding in the challenge for the fourth time.
"I am doing The Jo Cox Way again to remind myself what Jo stood for; it is more relevant now than when she said it.
"We all have 'more in common' than we think.
"I also still quite fancy the challenge; can I still do it?"
Ms Leadbeater added: "For those four-and-a-half days, nothing else matters - all that matters is getting up the next hill and getting to London, raising money for charity and making friendships.
"That is everything that Jo was about".
Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
More on this story
Jo Cox cycle ride 'inspirational' - sister
Record number turns out for Jo Cox memorial ride
Related internet links
The Jo Cox Foundation
The Jo Cox Way