Cathedrals Cycle Route – Week 2

8 cathedrals: 305 miles: Sunshine all the way!

We’re in London today for the next legs of our relay on the inaugural Cathedrals Cycle Route travelling into the city from St Albans to take in St Paul’s, Westminster Abbey and ending the day at Southwark Cathedral.

Read how they got on in Week 1 of the Cathedrals Cycle Route.

Last week saw the latest group of cyclists travel from Derby to Leicester, just in time to catch Evensong. From Leicester our next set of cyclists carried the baton to Peterborough where they were raising funds for Light Project Peterborough, to support rough sleepers in the city. We left Peterborough for the Ship of the Fens, Ely Cathedral and then a slog from Ely to Norwich, 54 miles later.

From Norwich we began to head south down to Bury St Edmunds where the Dean, the Very Revd Joe Hawes, waved us off from a rickshaw on Saturday morning!

On Saturday the team cycled the 51 miles to Chelmsford where they were greeted by the Dean, the Very Revd Nicholas Henshall who received the baton and placed it on the altar in front of the specially commissioned Cathedrals Cycle Route candle which had been burning during their journey.

There were homemade cakes in the North Transept.

On Sunday morning, the riders for the 48 mile leg to St Albans came into the Cathedral with their bikes just before the morning Eucharist and the Dean handed over the baton and gave a short reading. The Bishop of Chelmsford, the Rt Revd Dr Guli Francis-Dehqani prayed for a safe journey and blessed the riders before they were encouraged on their way by the congregation.

This was live streamed and you can watch a short film of the cyclists leave Chelmsford Cathedral before the Sunday service, just click the image below (first 5 mins)

The candle continued to burn for the rest of the day.

Congratulations to the youngest rider, five-year old John Hunt, who held the baton and then he and his parents set off with the other riders and cycled the first five miles towards St Albans.

Total miles ridden 604!

The first team of cyclists set off from Newcastle Cathedral on Sunday May 30 – at the start of Cycling UK’s Bike Week to ride 42 Cathedrals in 42 days passing on a specially commissioned baton from one cathedral to the next on this, the latest pilgrimage route, the Cathedrals Cycle Route (CCR).

The CCR is a unique partnership between Sustrans, Cycling UK, the British Pilgrimage Trust and the Association of English Cathedrals that links all 42 Church of England cathedrals in a new initiative to promote greener travel and mental and physical wellbeing.

The 2,000 mile Cathedrals Cycle Route is the invention of academic, entrepreneur and keen cyclist Shaun Cutler, from Northumbria University, and is designed to help us all out of lockdown with opportunities for short cycle rides between cathedrals, new partnerships and fundraising for physical and mental well-being activities.

Shaun said:

“The Cathedrals Cycle Route is about connecting our historic cathedrals and enjoying the spaces between them.

“Now more than ever, after a year of living with the coronavirus pandemic, this is a way to support people’s mental and physical health and promote the mission of England’s cathedrals through pilgrimage, wellbeing and heritage.”