Ride + Stride, 12 September 2026

[Jdsk]

Ride + Stride is an annual event where cyclists, walkers and others can visit churches and raise money if they wish. The money supports the repair of church buildings. It's organised on a county basis.
https://ridestride.org

It's held on the second Saturday of September so I expect that in 2026 it will be on 12 September. I'll confirm that when I'm sure.

I've started this new thread because there's a clear desire for lots of notice in this discussion:
viewtopic.php?p=1870894#p1870894

It's one of the best ways that I know to encourage family cycling and to help people who are just one step away from getting out on their bikes.

Jonathan

[Jdsk]

We've used it as a family and friends event for several decades. Now on the third generation. This Saturday was ten of us on seven machines, ages from 17 months to 74 years in South Oxfordshire.

Weather was... variable, some sun but periods of heavy rain and nasty hail. Great experience for the children in how to manage this stuff.

All of the churches had smiling attendants, and all but two had biscuits and squash. And the nine and four year old ran in and out getting their forms signed.

I offer to inspect and service the bikes of anyone in the village who will join in. And of course that includes a lot of bikes that have trivial faults and have been shoved in the shed. An event like this can provide just enough incentive to get cycling again.

And the best bit.. on Sunday the 17 month old gathered his cycling gear and stood by the front door and was furious that he couldn't go cycling again.

Jonathan

[drossall]

Great stuff. Do please highlight it again as it might make a nice alternative to an Audax for a weekend.

I did it once. Our church, as a local ecumenical partnership, is part of both the local Methodist Circuit and the local group of URC churches in North Hertfordshire, so I set out to visit all the churches in both, stretching from near Bedford to just into Cambridgeshire, and south of Stevenage. My home church is about as unhistoric as they get (late 1960s), but was opening anyway to provide a stop-off point.

[mjr]

All of the churches had smiling attendants, and all but two had biscuits and squash.

How different! We only had refreshments and a ride visitor sheet in two, but no people there. Two more churches were open, one attended, but not specifically for this event. The other six were closed, but a keyholder lived next to one and opened it for us.

We only saw one other cycling group. Despite my comments on the other discussion, we didn't actually see any drivers at the churches this year, but I still reckon our local one adding 'drive' to 'ride & stride' is when the event started to decline.