Charity ride still not hitting pre-Covid numbers

The charity hopes to grow the event to 20,000 competitors

The annual London to Brighton bike ride is still not seeing the same amount of riders as before the pandemic.

The ride, which is organised by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), had 16,000 participants at its peak before it went on a two-year break due to Covid.

About 10,000 people took part in 2023 and the charity is hoping 12,000 cyclists will ride on 16 June.

BHF's head of events Anna McCaughley said: “Inevitably after Covid there is always a job to rebuild the event and regain momentum."

She added: "Understandably, people were anxious about attending large-scale events and out of the habit of attending in-person events."

With numbers recovering, the charity hopes to grow the event to 20,000 competitors over the coming years.

Ms McCaughley said: “We really want to re-establish this as the nation’s favourite bike ride and it’s really important for the amount of money we raise so we’re working really hard to attract new audiences and improve the experience people have on the day.”

So far the rides have raised more than £50m for the BHF and nearly 700,000 cyclists have crossed the finish line of the ride, which starts at Clapham Common and ends in Brighton’s Madeira Drive.

About 8,500 runners took part in the 2023 Brighton Marathon

Meanwhile, despite the ride's dip, the Brighton Marathon will have more runners than before Covid for the first time this year.

London Marathon Events was put in charge of the run in 2022.

About 8,500 runners took part in 2023’s marathon, but 15,000 places have already been sold for the 2024 edition, an increase on the 12,500 peak before the pandemic.

London Marathon Events event director Hugh Brasher said: "It looks like it's going to be the biggest bright marathon in the history of the event."