Thousands cycle the London to Brighton Bike Ride

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, joined thousands of cyclists pedalling to triumph at our London to Brighton Bike Ride, together raising an incredible millions for our lifesaving research.

The iconic cycling event returned yesterday on Father’s Day (19 June) after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. All money raised by the ride will go towards funding our life saving science that will help researchers understand how to better prevent, diagnose, and cure heart and circulatory diseases, which cause a quarter of all deaths in the UK.

The day saw London’s Mayor, along with more than 14,000 riders, complete the 54-mile route from city to coast starting in the early hours from Clapham and ending on the historic Brighton seafront.

After crossing the finish line, Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, said: “The British Heart Foundation’s 45th London to Brighton Bike Ride was a triumph. I was delighted to join 14,000 other cyclists taking on the 54-mile route which took us from my South London home turf, to Brighton’s historic seafront where a fantastic crowd gave us riders a much-needed boost for the final push.

“Most importantly, all the money raised from today’s ride will go towards BHF’s lifesaving research, helping to support the 7.6 million around the country living with heart and circulatory disease.”

Rock star rides for heart research

Alongside Sadiq Khan, was Jason Cooper, the drummer from the legendary British rock band The Cure. Jason was riding in memory of his former drum tech, Paul ‘Ricky’ Welton, who sadly died after suffering a heart attack in 2019. Jason has raised more than £9,000 for our ground-breaking science.

On finishing the ride, Jason said: “It was a fantastic day! The atmosphere was amazing, especially the crowds coming into Brighton cheering us on. I am so proud to be raising money for the BHF in memory of my great friend Ricky. He was a superb band member, and we shared some great moments together. But more importantly, he was a just a lovely guy. He was taken too soon, and we all miss him dearly.

“The money raised from the London to Brighton Bike Ride will help ensure that others don’t have to go through the heartbreak that the band and Ricky’s family have had to endure. The British Heart Foundation is leading the way through its crucial research into heart and circulatory diseases and their causes.”

Amazing return for iconic event

Now in its 45th year, the London to Brighton Bike Ride has hosted hundreds of thousands of cyclists who have pedalled the 54-miles to Brighton raising more than £70 million for our lifesaving research.

Our Chief Executive Dr Charmaine Griffiths said: “The London to Brighton Bike Ride is one of the biggest days of the year for the BHF and we are so thrilled to be back.

“We couldn’t fund our lifesaving heart and circulatory disease research without the support of people like of our London to Brighton cyclists who have raised an incredible amount for us this year.

“For more than 60 years, public support has helped the BHF turn research that once seemed like ‘science fiction’ into reality. But there is still so much more to do, and every penny raised from Sunday’s event will power our research and help us support the 7.6 million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK.

“It was particularly special to be there at the start line to wave off our riders like the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan and rock legend Jason Cooper as well as everyone else cycling for a cause close to their heart.”

Registration for next year’s event is open from 19th June.

Find out about L2B in 2023

https://www.bhf.org.uk/what-we-do/news-from-the-bhf/news-archive/2022/june/london-to-brighton-bike-ride