[LEL17] LEL is full up

[alwyn]

We now have just over 1570 riders on the start list, with another 80 being processed and a few more who are waiting to take a place.

As it's now looking likely that we'll have 1650 riders on the start line, we will not be maintaining the current wait list. It's unlikely that any places will become available for a few months, by which time many people on the list will have lost interest.

If it looks likely that the rider list will drop below 1500 riders, I will set up another wait list for places. But I really don't expect this to happen until April if at all. If it does, I'll be in touch via assorted media and to our email lists.

We're very sorry if you didn't get a place. The demand this year has been unprecedented.

[mmmmartin]

The demand this year has been unprecedented.

World class event. Famous far beyond these shores. No wonder it's full already. Be proud of your achievement.

[IanDG]

Excellent news Danial

Looking forward to be part of this - volunteer not rider

[Deano]

Personally, I blame the (now-notorious) Rev G Holdsworth Cycing Weekly letter:

[Redlight]

Possibly the closest that Cycling Weekly has come to acknowledging the existence of LEL?  I seem to recall not even a mention in 2009 and 2013.

[Exit Stage Left]

Sheila Simpson did a big write-up of the first running in 1989. Marcus JB has a transcript of it. It was known as the Edinburgh London then.

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/55e473c5e4b0adbd82eb1118/t/55f1ba32e4b091a3837abe9e/1441905202691/LEL+1989+Cycling+Weekly+text.pdf

[Salvatore]

It was known as the Edinburgh London then.

No it wasn't.

[Exit Stage Left]

Sheila seemed to think so.

There was just one trio, comprising tough trikie Peter Gifford of Notts DA CTC, whose family were organising the North Clifton control, James Green, and Gerald Parsons, veteran of two PBs, a marathon runner and, at 62, soon to be the oldest rider to complete the Edinburgh-London.

[Arry-R]

Sheila seemed to think so.



All members of the A68 Club as well

[Bus Shelter Bertie]

It was known as the Edinburgh London then.

No it wasn't.

Perfectly clear on both Brevet card and medal 'LONDON EDINBURGH LONDON'

[Exit Stage Left]

I've not seen a card, or the medal. I was going from the patch which is displayed at the start of the video I re-edited. It might explain why there's a perception that the event was ignored, as a search for 'Cycling Weekly/London Edinburgh London/ 1989' wouldn't connect with their account of the inaugural event. I did write 'known as' after all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wFy8-yCvedA

One of the oddities of the AUK results system is that calendar events are listed by the starting place and distance on the full list. http://www.aukweb.net/results/archive/2013/events/

So LEL 2013 is ' 13-1 Loughton 1415 28 July' , the full page then carries the event name, so there are levels of AKA.

I had a look on the 2001 results to see what my certificate says, it just gives the distance.
http://www.aukweb.net/results/certificates/2001/cert/?Ride=2107THOR1400&Rider=6445&Serno=F114880

In 2005 it says London Edinburgh London, perhaps because it was the first time the London starters outnumbered the Thorne starters.
http://www.aukweb.net/results/certificates/2005/cert/?Ride=636&Rider=6445&Serno=N10772

[madcow]

World class event. Famous far beyond these shores. No wonder it's full already. Be proud of your achievement.

Quo vadis? Onward and upward?
I suppose the answer will only be known when the dust has settled on this years event.

[postrestant]

It was known as the Edinburgh London then.

No it wasn't.

Yes it was. Sheila Simpson refers to it as the Edinburgh London in her 1990 article. So it was known by Sheila Simpson as the Edinburgh London. A question might be -- what currency did "Edinburgh London" have? (And, of course, the existence of a proper title does not mean that everyone referred to the proper title.) That's a hard question to answer.

You might argue that Simpson only referred to the ride thus in the article to allow her title -- to EL and back ...

[LittleWheelsandBig]

We've been here before. Bernard Mawson referred to the event as both London-Edinburgh-London and Edinburgh-London. That'll do for me. Given that the early events only visited London once partway through the brevet, it was a bit of a stretch calling the event LEL.

[mattc]

I'm pretty sure that the French ride is officialy "Paris-Brest-paris", yet loads of people call it "Paris-Brest". The same could be said of the different nicknames for the TdeF, etc etc . So I'm not remotely bothered by this debate.

however .... just for information ...  ...

Has it ever started in Edinburgh?

[frankly frankie]

Two 'EL' Arrivee covers, from 1989 and 1993, editor Sheila
   

And one 'EL' and one 'LEL' from 1997 and 2001, editor Tim
   

My strong recollection is that Bernard called it LEL or London-Edinburgh-London right from the start, but the 'alternative' title "To EL and back" caught the imagination somewhat.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

When it started in Thorne, the riders went to Edinburgh, then London, before finishing in Thorne.

[Salvatore]

Two 'EL' Arrivee covers, from 1989 and 1993, editor Sheila

My strong recollection is that Bernard called it LEL or London-Edinburgh-London right from the start, but the 'alternative' title "To EL and back" caught the imagination somewhat.

The alternative title was Sheila's idea (hence the Arrivées), but it never really caught on.

[Greenbank]

My strong recollection is that Bernard called it LEL or London-Edinburgh-London right from the start, but the 'alternative' title "To EL and back" caught the imagination somewhat.

The original letter from Bernard was tweeted recently...

https://twitter.com/LEL2017/status/826830110716223488

[hellymedic]

'Turn and retrace'...

[mr ben]

Personally, I blame the (now-notorious) Rev G Holdsworth Cycing Weekly letter:

I'm assuming there was also a letter from a Mrs Trellis bemoaning the lack of helmets?

[The French Tandem]

How about threatening a lifetime ban from entering the event in future unless you have a really good reason for being DNS. FWIW I am wondering if any of those who have secured a place this time were DNS in 2013?

This is, in theory, an interesting idea, but in the real world, trying to enforce this seriously would just add another burden to an already overloaded LEL team. Maybe it's time now to make the team bigger?

[mattc]

We now have just over 1570 riders on the start list, with another 80 being processed and a few more who are waiting to take a place.

As it's now looking likely that we'll have 1650 riders on the start line, we will not be maintaining the current wait list. It's unlikely that any places will become available for a few months, by which time many people on the list will have lost interest.

If it looks likely that the rider list will drop below 1500 riders, I will set up another wait list for places. But I really don't expect this to happen until April if at all. If it does, I'll be in touch via assorted media and to our email lists.

We're very sorry if you didn't get a place. The demand this year has been unprecedented.

This seems to me to be very sensible indeed. There’s no point in running a waiting list only for someone on the list to accept a place only to drop out themselves in a few months time.

The only possible problem I see is if that someone is chomping at the bit for months; then a new waiting list is setup; and that person sees their place go to someone who has only just joined the game!

[Mark Willians]

Hi mattc,

Do you know if the number of riders have now dropped below 1500?

Best regards
Mark

[Fidgetbuzz]

Question was aimed at MattC.. and all encompassing as his knowledge is .. this is not info that he is privy to ( unless he has hacked my spread sheets ) .. as he is not part of the central team

But here is the answer ..not yet .. cancellations until end of May get £269 back .. from 2013 experience there will be a lot of cancellations in the last week of May.. and then about 30 or so  who have paid but do not come to the start line.