London to Brighton Bike Ride 2023 raises £1.4 million

More than 10,000 cyclists pedalled their way to help us fund lifesaving research in the London to Brighton Bike Ride 2023.

On Sunday 18^th June our determined riders took on the mammoth distance from Clapham Common to the Brighton seafront raising a staggering £1.4 million. This will help fund our groundbreaking research into new treatments and cures for heart and circulatory diseases.

Many participants had emotive reasons for taking part, such as Andrew Pullen from Surrey who was riding in memory of his two-year-old son Kieran who tragically passed away from a congenital heart condition. 

Emotional connections

Andrew, aged 49, said: “The ride was incredible but emotional. It’s been a hard few months of training but flying along the Brighton seafront for the last mile and seeing my family felt so worth it! 

“The BHF means a lot to my family and I after our gorgeous little boy passed away when he was just two years old because of a heart condition. This tragic loss in our family has been immensely hard and it feels good to do something tangible like this in his memory.

“The BHF funds millions of pounds of research into congenital heart conditions like the one that affected Kieran and it’s important to carry on supporting them so they can continue to fund cures and treatments for the 7.6 million people in the UK with heart or circulatory conditions.”

Kayleigh Starkey-Savage also took on the challenge after her son, Felix, was diagnosed with multiple heart defects at birth. Thankfully, after two heart surgeries, Felix, now four, is doing well.

The 35-year-old from Somerset said: “We always say out hearts had to break for his to be repaired. When we first learnt that Felix had his heart condition, our idea for what life would be like as a new family was shattered. But so much of that image has been restored thanks to the lengths the team around him have gone to.

“I find it amazing that they were able to operate on a heart the size of my thumb nail. It really puts into perspective how important this research is.”

Like Kayleigh and Andrew, each cyclist showed true dedication and grit in taking on the gruelling 54-miles to wheel over the finish line.

Roisin Greenup, our Senior Events Manager, added: “It was fantastic to see the passion and determination of our riders on Sunday. Without the commitment of our cyclists, we wouldn’t be able to fund research that has already broken new ground, revolutionised treatments and transformed the lives of millions of people in the UK.

“The stories of why our amazing supporters take part in our London to Brighton Bike Ride never fails to impress us. This event is one of our favourites of the year and has been for almost half a century.  The ballot for next year’s event is now open, so we’d urge everyone to sign up now to help us fund vital research to save and improve more lives.”

Enter the ballot for the London to Brighton Bike Ride 2024

We would like to acknowledge and pay tribute to David Cooper (69) from Battersea, South West London, who was marking his 24th London to Brighton Bike Ride when he sadly passed away while participating in the event on Sunday (18 June 2023). His 24 years of support for the BHF will have made a huge difference to the lives of heart patients across the UK and we are so grateful for his almost quarter century of support. Our thoughts are with his family at this time.