Bike ride to honour life of Adrian Mole creator

Sue Townsend was given the Honorary Freedom of Leicester in 2009

A commemorative bike ride will be held to celebrate the work of a Leicester-born author, 10 years on from her death.

The Adrian Mole-themed ride will begin at Leicester's Town Hall bike park at 10:00 BST on Saturday, in memory of the character's creator, Sue Townsend.

The author died in April 2014, aged 68, after a short illness.

The ride is expected to take about three hours and will pass by houses where Ms Townsend wrote her books and the theatre where her plays were first performed.

Stephen Mangan starred as Adrian Mole in the 2001 adaptation of The Cappucino Years

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4, was published in 1982, kicking off an eight-book series written by Ms Townsend.

Twenty million copies of her books were sold in the 1980s alone and they were adapted into TV series on three occasions.

The ride will end at the Sue Townsend archive, which is at the University of Leicester.

Rakhee Townsend from the Sue Townsend estate, which has supported the ride, said: “The route the Adrian Mole bike ride takes gives great insights into Sue’s life.

"Every stop reveals a different scene of inspiration in the Adrian Mole story.

"We are all really pleased to be involved in such a great event.”

The ride, which is limited to 30 people, has been organised by Leicester City Council and Ride Leicester, as part of a month-long cycling festival.

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