Cyclist creates Halloween-themed ride by taking skeleton-shaped route in Leicester

A cyclist has mapped out the shape of a skeleton in a Halloween-themed bike ride.

It took Rebecca Laurel, 25, from Leicester, more than six hours to complete her "spooky" cycle across the city.

The skeleton shape is part of a series of bike rides featuring various Halloween designs. The route is plotted on to a digital map when a device with GPS tracking records her journey.

"I've done a pumpkin, a ghost and a witch, so a skeleton was one of the last options," Ms Laurel told the PA news agency.

She started at Fosse Park in the city centre, cycled around Soar Valley Way to create the skeleton's hips, before heading south to draw the legs and ending her ride at Braunstone.

But there were some challenging parts too. She had to cycle the same route multiple times.

"The end of the legs and each rib, you go one way and then turn around and go back the same way, which kind of slows the route down a lot," she said.

"It was a lot of the city centre, so it's slower and longer than a general ride."

The idea of making art through exercise is not new though.

So-called "Strava Art" - named after a gadget which records GPS data during exercise - has become popular online.

Runners and cyclists have been competing for years to create elaborate pictures on a map and post them on social media.

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Ms Laurel, who was inspired to start cycling after watching the 2012 London Olympic Games, already has her sights set on Christmas.

"I've got a snowman route that I've planned a few years ago that I haven't ridden," she said.

Ms Laurel has cycled for more than 12 years and has taken part in various regional races in off-road and mountain bike competitions.

(c) Sky News 2024: Cyclist creates Halloween-themed ride by taking skeleton-shaped route in Leicester