Kelly's Heroes Cycle Challenge 2025

Kelly’s Heroes are a special group of cyclists who are preparing to mark the 10th anniversary of the passing of our dear friend (and one of the cyclist’s sisters), Kelly Pope. We have been raising money for local charities over the last 9 years by cycling various long-distance routes, including Banbury to Blackpool, London to Brighton, Oxford to Paris and Banbury to Lands’ End!

Kelly was an outgoing individual whose kindness, strength, and passion for giving back to the community left a lasting impact. As a tribute to her life, Kelly's Heroes will be cycling for a cause close to Kelly’s heart, supporting local charities that make a meaningful difference in the lives of individuals and families in need.

To date Kelly’s Heroes have raised in excess of £56,000 for a number of local charities. As this year is the 10-year anniversary of the loss of Kelly, we wanted to take on our toughest challenge yet.

This year our Heroes are riding from Oxford on Thursday 5th June embarking on an epic 3-day journey of around 420 miles, covering 125 miles a day. This monumental journey will take us from Oxford to the south coast on day 1, followed by an entire circuit of the Isle of Wight on day 2 and a ride on to Swanage where Kelly is laid to rest.

Swanage is a special place for both Kelly & her family as this is where her mother Jayne was raised. Unfortunately, Kelly’s mother also passed away following a long battle with cancer aged just 56 and now they lay side-by-side.

It is with great pride that this beautiful location is included within the ride and is where our final leg back to Oxford will start on day 3 finishing at The Kassam Stadium, home to Oxford United.

The charities you will be helping to raise money for this year are Sobell House Hospice and SeeSaw. Sobell House Hospice provides specialist palliative and end-of-life care to adults living in Oxfordshire with a life-limiting illness, and support to their family and friends, and is where Kelly was cared for as well as many friends and relatives of those taking part in this year’s challenge. SeeSaw provides support for children, young people and their families in Oxfordshire when they have been bereaved or when somebody close to them is terminally ill.