Norwich Duo’s 52 Cathedral Odyssey on Their Cycle Creates Records

Amidst the echoes of sacred hymns and the towering spires, the couple from Norwich has made an exceptional record. Jon and Linda Reed, a couple in their 60s, have set an example for the cycling community. After an exhaustive journey, their cycling feat was completed at Norwich Cathedral on October 16.

Spanning over a period of 20 weeks, climbing heights equivalent to scaling Mount Everest three times, the duo has set a living example of endurance covering a total distance of 3,000 miles. However, this was not an ordinary cycling journey, and let us delve into the article to find out the unique feature.  

A blend of emotions and the epic cycling adventure

The Reed’s cycling tour touched the 52 remarkable cathedrals of the United Kingdom. With determination and resilience, the couple have covered both the countries of England and Scotland, touching upon the Anglican Cathedrals in England and Episcopalian Cathedrals in Scotland. 

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Wrapping a total of 4,850 km on their cycle, their extraordinary feat commenced on May 31, from Ipswich riding on their Tilly the tandem. This ambitious undertaking tested both the physical and mental endurance of the couple. However, by confidently overcoming all the obstacles that they encountered on their way, they successfully completed the epic challenge.  

The duo shared their experience about this endeavor with Eastern Daily Press stating, “You feel excited that you managed to complete such an epic challenge, but also quite sad that it’s come to an end. We’re relieved to have finished, when we started, we didn’t know if we could do it.”

Documenting to trace their journey

While they traversed across countries, they held a passport created by Cycle UK and the English Cathedral Association. Starting with Chelmsford as their primary destination, they had their goal set on filling the passport with stamps along their way through the Pilgrimage route, touching upon the English cathedrals. 

Their long and inspiring journey culminated with the final stamp on their passport placed on their reaching the final spot at Norwich Cathedral. To keep an account of their accomplishments, the Reeds couple maintained a detailed blog chronicling every bit of the triumphs and challenges along this pilgrimage on their cycle. 

These accounts show that obstacles like suffering from punctures twice, broken cycle structures, and getting stuck in numerous muddy tracks caused impediments during their journey. Their blog posts serve as an exemplification of their fierce spirit, relying on the two-wheeler to cover up the arduous journey. 

Jon Reed expressed that this enthusiasm for cycling is addictive. Hence, drawing inspiration from this journey, the Reeds are looking forward to embarking on adventures in the future covering Asia and South America. However, this achievement will always remain special to them as it denotes their pilgrimage to the UK’s cathedrals, inspiring those who dream of undertaking unique adventures. 

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