The 2022 Queen Eleanor Cycle Ride takes place over the August Bank Holiday weekend (26-29 August 2022) to raise funds for The Connection at St Martin-in-the-Fields for their work with homeless and vulnerable people in central London.

The Friends of the Connection at St Martins urgently needs funds to help more people make a fresh start away from the streets. In 2021, the Ride raised in excess of £30,000.

As in 2020 and 2021, theres a choice of options designed to reflect your cycling ability and also any COVID guidelines that may be in place at the time.

The full route follows the 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 Connection is based a few yards from the site of the last of these. 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; younger 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.

The challenges of the last couple of years meant some cyclists stayed at home but still committed to cycling 200 miles in aid of those on the streets. We are offering this option again in 2022. Even if you cant join the Group Ride, you can still take part and help support the Connections 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 during their summer holidays.

We do not set a minimum sponsorship target, but over £30,000 was raised last year with an average of about £1,000 per cyclist.

The entry fee for the full ride is £80 before 30 June 2022, or £95 thereafter. 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 Keith Busfield at queeneleanorcycle@gmail.com or on 07568 707089.