If you’ve recently lost a friend or family member who was extremely passionate about cycling, you may want to think about ways you can incorporate the sport into their funeral arrangements. Funerals are an opportunity to celebrate the lives we lead and the things in our lives that give them meaning and lend them importance. Consequently, theming a funeral around a particular hobby or passion held by the deceased can be an excellent way to remember a loved one.
If you have strong ideas about how you’d like your funeral to look, it’s worth looking into taking out a funeral plan.
In this article, however, we look at how you might plan a funeral for a cyclist.
Bicycle Hearse
Many of the funeral directors on Beyond are able to offer hearses that are a bit leftfield in comparison with the classic black car. Cycling hearses do exist, and can make for a nice touch, giving the funeral service that extra bit of personality. While some funeral directors have a fleet of specialised hearses available, such as Nortons of Walsall, the vast majority will be able to get them in on request, for an extra fee. If you’re using Beyond to find and engage your local funeral director, you’re best off putting an enquiry through and then discussing the hearses that they have available with them directly.
Alternatively, you might like to escort the hearse on its journey to the crematorium or cemetery with a peleton of cyclists.
Cycle Ride
One of the most simple and effective means of honouring the deceased’s passion is by arranging a cycle ride in a picturesque setting for friends and family. Though the ride could take place anywhere, it might be a good idea to try and plan a route that meant something to the person that passed away. Whether it’s a route they cycled every week, one that leads past their favourite local landmarks, a well-organised bike ride can be a great way to honour the memory of the deceased.
Well known and picturesque routes include Bristol to Bath, London to Brighton, the Tweed Cycleway in the Scottish Borders and the Yorkshire Dales.
A good rule of thumb when arranging the route is to try and find a balance between difficulty and accessibility. Some people are hardier cyclists and enjoy steep hill climbs, whereas others might prefer a more leisurely cycle.
The ride can be done as a weekend away, or just over the course of an afternoon, and can be done at any point after the funeral, perhaps around the anniversary of their passing, or on their birthday. This is a good way to preserve the memory of your loved one, and bring their friends and family together to do something positive.
Personalise the coffin
You may like the idea of a personalised, printed coffin. This involves printing pictures and designs onto the coffin, and has emerged as one of the most common ways of personalising a funeral service in recent times. If you’re looking to plan a funeral for a cyclist, you might opt for a bicycle themed coffin print, or more simply one with photos of the deceased on it. As with specialised hearses, the vast majority of funeral directors on Beyond will be able to source these kinds of coffins.
Cycle themed wake venues
If you’re looking to hold the wake in a cycling themed venue, you might have to think outside the box a little. While a local cycling club may be able to provide a venue, it can be difficult to arrange such a gathering in other places. Sometimes cycling cafés provide a place for the biking community to meet and could be considered for a wake, but it might also be a good idea to think about famous cycling landmarks around the country and to try to organise something there.
Below is a range of some of the most celebrated and well-known cycling cafés in the UK.
Look Mum No Hands – Old Street, London. Funeral directors in London.
Greystoke Cycle Café, Penrith. Funeral directors in Carlisle.
Eureka Cyclists Café – Wirral. Funeral directors in Wirral.
Your Bike Shed – York. Funeral directors in York.
Mud Dock Café – Bristol. Funeral directors in Bristol.
Zappi’s Bike Café – Oxford. Funeral directors in Oxford.
Velocity – Inverness. Funeral directors in Inverness.
Bicycle urns and headstones
Finally, what better way is there to remember the deceased’s passion for cycling than a bicycle themed headstone or urn? These can be found relatively easily online or be custom-made by a professional engraver, but if you’re looking for inspiration, a simple Google search can provide you with more than enough ideas to get you started.
We all have things we wish we could tell people who are no longer with us. Why not just give it a try? You could wait until you have a quiet moment alone to say what you want to say aloud. Or visit their grave or scattering place to speak to them.
This could be something as simple as wearing their jewellery or watch every day. Or clothing: a favourite shirt could be worn, turned into a cushion, or framed to make art. Believe it or not, there is also a company that turns the clothing of people who have died into teddy bears. 
When you’re struggling with something – anything – writing can be very therapeutic. So, writing a letter to a loved one who has died can be a lovely way to feel connected to them and work through your grief. 
Your loved one’s grave, or the place where their ashes were scattered, can feel very meaningful. There’s comfort to be had in just giving yourself some time to sit with them there. 
Pardon Me For Not Getting Up
Death
Death
