Ride & Stride 2023: a report from the team

Ride & Stride 2023

The Oxfordshire Historic Ride & Stride took place on 9 September where a group of would-be Chris Froomes cycled to churches in Oxfordshire raising sponsorship funds for OHCT and St Mary’s.This year (as with the previous 10) I was joined by Tom Bailey, Robert Bradshaw (2nd time) and making his debut, Neil Poole. We got our wish for a dry day but the 32°C heat was draining. Although Ride & Stride officially starts at 10am we set off an hour earlier to try and get some miles in before the heat really built up. Unfortunately, this meant that we were unable to sign in at St Mary’s from where we set off. Following early visits to churches at Marsh Gibbon and Edgcott, we ventured to Brill where the opportunity was taken to stock up on calories at the local shop. This was most welcome after dragging ourselves up Brill Hill in the (almost) Midday sun.

We pulled up to Stratton Audley church at 1pm to be greeted by an anxious vicar, worried that the bride was running late, and a nervous photographer who had lined up the perfect shot for the bride’s arrival.

Robert had thoughtfully phoned ahead and arranged to meet up with his wife who took a quick photo of the Riders & Striders (see the title photo to this story) and we looked on in amusement as the bride arrived from the opposite direction than expected. So much for the perfect shot.

By the time we reached Weston-on-the-Green at 4.30pm only Tom and I remained. As we entered the church, I made straight for a half-filled jug of orange squash which had probably been there since the church opened that morning. At this point I was starting to feel a bit less than great with the tartrazine rush failing to kick in. We took the decision to bail out early and headed for home. A large ice Cola (me) and a pint of lager (Tom) at the Lion in Wendlebury hydrated us enough to make it back to Bicester.

Altogether we managed a hard fought 80 miles, visiting 16 churches on the way. By the time the last of the sponsorship money has been gathered in, we will have made around £650. Thank you to all for your generous sponsorship.

Chris Frost