Author Topic: LEL 2022is coming soon  (Read 31804 times)

Davef

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #25 on: 28 January, 2021, 09:04:14 am »
Insurance for overseas riders is now a complex problem.   

Being based in France, we used to ride in Britain while being covered by our home insurance only (a French insurance company). I guess it was similar for all other EU countries residents. Our insurance company told us (well, I asked first) that from January 1st 2021, we were  no longer insured for riding a bicycle in Britain  :(

I used to ride thinking I was covered on my FFCT membership, until the Federal insurers clearly stated that only rides inscribed in the League (or I think Codep ) calendar were covered by the organising option that (all?) clubs subscribe to. I think we still take a risk assuming that a club ride overseas will be covered but individual rides are clearly not (which gave an enormous amount of grief for cross-border commuters with a home one side and a club the other - think Germany-France for example). It is early days since federal activity was on Covid shutdown before Brexit came into force (and the FFCT has also changed insurers); I would hope that a solution will be found when activity restarts (when????). Somewhere there will be an insurer with a specialist product for riding overseas - although at what price?
If you are talking about liability insurance I would have thought national bodies would be the people to approach. Certainly if you are U.K. resident BC insurance covers travel world wide (with some limitations for USA and Canada).

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #26 on: 29 January, 2021, 10:04:41 am »
I had the best time volunteering in 2017 - knackering but really enjoyable.
So you didn’t just hide in the side/computer room, chatting to passers by!  :)

There was a room to hide in? No one told me!

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #27 on: 29 January, 2021, 10:48:57 am »
I had the best time volunteering in 2017 - knackering but really enjoyable.
So you didn’t just hide in the side/computer room, chatting to passers by!  :)

There was a room to hide in? No one told me!
I must be getting old. I remember scanning myself out, then having a long chat with you in a room, monitoring the scanner or something 🤔

Anyway, one day I’ll see LEL from the volunteering side. Still hoping to ride one with team mates.
Bikes are for riding, not cleaning!

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #28 on: 29 January, 2021, 11:45:03 am »
...... Feeding the riders can  no longer be left to each individual controller, in fact menu options have to very carefully worked out.........

I don't disagree with you, but some individual controllers managed a far better result (in terms of menu planning, provisioning and budget) than some of the "professional" caterers.

I had the best time volunteering in 2017 - knackering but really enjoyable.
So you didn’t just hide in the side/computer room, chatting to passers by!  :)

Liam played a full part of the volunteer rota. What he did in the "side room" was extra, work being done for the central administration.

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #29 on: 29 January, 2021, 12:58:35 pm »
👍
Bikes are for riding, not cleaning!

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #30 on: 29 January, 2021, 10:03:20 pm »

Liam played a full part of the volunteer rota. What he did in the "side room" was extra, work being done for the central administration.

OMG - I thought the terms of my contract rider were confidential.  I deny it all and my lawyers will be in touch

Fidgetbuzz

  • L sp MOON. 1st R sp MARS . At X SO sp STARS
Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #31 on: 29 January, 2021, 11:09:31 pm »
Indeed Phil ..your superlative efforts put the "" professional ""caterers to shame. That was a major part of the problem .. they were just not professional. They were not even particularly cheap .. but that was one of the most important lessons that we learnt from 2017.
Catering is so important .. menu options, quantities and availability ... huge logistical problem. Combine that with "professionals" who did not understand their task .. and you can fairly quickly see why a seasoned audaxer as a controller has a real head start on getting it right.
I was an accountant until I discovered Audax !!

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

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Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #32 on: 30 January, 2021, 05:31:51 am »
The guests on events such as LEL are a nightmare.  They never turn up on time (headwinds make them late, tailwinds or benign night conditions means they push on to a control that wasn't expecting them).  They are tired, fussy, and confused.  (They are also very lovely people but not from a caterer's point of view).

Professional caterers usually work to delivering a fixed quantity of meals at a fixed time, and I suspect the disciplines required for that can work against the adaptability needed for LEL.

It's also 'another event' for them, whereas for an amateur, it's as much an experience as riding the event itself and justifies 18 months of planning, timetabling, thinking about the volunteers, etc. 

That said, an inexperienced volunteer could easily be overwhelmed by the logistics of feeding 1500 people in a day, which is by far the biggest challenge and one that some of the professional caterers had clearly underestimated.

Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #33 on: 31 January, 2021, 10:26:08 am »
Indeed Phil ..your superlative efforts put the "" professional ""caterers to shame.

Not me. While I did the budgeting and provisioning, Colin (CET in the mail above) did all the menu planning and kitchen management which was by a very large margin the harder part. And other controls did just as well.

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #34 on: 04 February, 2021, 08:27:39 pm »

My memory is of Liam manning the commercial-grade diswasher, delivering very lively and witty banter at the same time.  It contributed greatly to my enjoyment of the event.

Like ElyDave I had hoped to ride it this time round.  Fingers crossed for 2022.

LiamFitz is far too modest to reveal the full extent of his involvement in LEL. He is, essentially, a core team member. I shudder to think how much it would have cost to access his expertise and work at commercial rates.

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #35 on: 04 February, 2021, 08:38:38 pm »
It's also 'another event' for them, whereas for an amateur, it's as much an experience as riding the event itself and justifies 18 months of planning, timetabling, thinking about the volunteers, etc. 

That said, an inexperienced volunteer could easily be overwhelmed by the logistics of feeding 1500 people in a day, which is by far the biggest challenge and one that some of the professional caterers had clearly underestimated.

We have had some superb professional caterers take part in LEL. Including one that supported Colin in 2013 and taught some of the tricks that helped make him such a superlative caterer in 2017. And Colin really was/is a colossally good caterer.

He's by no means alone. Sina in 2009 at Thorne produced amazing food out of a deeply unpromising kitchen. June in 2017 at Innerleithen absolutely nailed it with zero mass-catering experience. I cannot remember who cooked the food at Great Easton in 2017 but I really enjoyed what I ate there. Those two, along with me and other LEL volunteers now hang out on Facebook in a group sharing our cooking and recipes. They are an asset to Audax UK that cannot be priced.

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #36 on: 04 February, 2021, 08:44:56 pm »
We have also had some shockingly bad professional caterers. Vince at Market Rasen in 2013 generated more complaints alone than all the other complaints combined. He was fucking vile. Aaron at Spalding and Louth in 2017 caused my first major fail during LEL, shaming me and my husband,ruining the ride of about a dozen riders while denying having no food available for five hours was a problem. Jason was superb in 2013, but had delivered quite the drink and sniff problem by 2017 and was found stealing cash and merch from the front desk. Happily, Jason's team proved to be really quite superb, and they will be serving you in 2021/2.

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #37 on: 04 February, 2021, 09:41:25 pm »
It's also 'another event' for them, whereas for an amateur, it's as much an experience as riding the event itself and justifies 18 months of planning, timetabling, thinking about the volunteers, etc. 

That said, an inexperienced volunteer could easily be overwhelmed by the logistics of feeding 1500 people in a day, which is by far the biggest challenge and one that some of the professional caterers had clearly underestimated.

We have had some superb professional caterers take part in LEL. Including one that supported Colin in 2013 and taught some of the tricks that helped make him such a superlative caterer in 2017. And Colin really was/is a colossally good caterer.

He's by no means alone. Sina in 2009 at Thorne produced amazing food out of a deeply unpromising kitchen. June in 2017 at Innerleithen absolutely nailed it with zero mass-catering experience. I cannot remember who cooked the food at Great Easton in 2017 but I really enjoyed what I ate there. Those two, along with me and other LEL volunteers now hang out on Facebook in a group sharing our cooking and recipes. They are an asset to Audax UK that cannot be priced.

Grant Huggins was managing food at Great Easton


Tomsk

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Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #38 on: 05 February, 2021, 05:48:23 pm »
Grant Huggins was managing food at Great Easton

 :thumbsup: One of the Respected Elders of ACME and as his forum byline says: 'Never knowingly underfed on an Audax'. He also ran the Great Easton kitchen in 2013 when I was controller.

mmmmartin

  • BPB 1/1: PBP 0/1
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Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #39 on: 05 February, 2021, 10:37:10 pm »
We have also had some shockingly bad professional caterers. Vince at Market Rasen in 2013 generated more complaints alone than all the other complaints combined. He was fucking vile. Aaron at Spalding and Louth in 2017 caused my first major fail during LEL, shaming me and my husband,ruining the ride of about a dozen riders while denying having no food available for five hours was a problem. Jason was superb in 2013, but had delivered quite the drink and sniff problem by 2017 and was found stealing cash and merch from the front desk. Happily, Jason's team proved to be really quite superb, and they will be serving you in 2021/2.
At the start last time I was charged with greeting the caterers who arrived very late at night while I think there was some pub event thing on for riders and vols. In the rush of events, there was no key for them to access the kitchen and it was locked but they needed to be in very early in the morning. I had no key and no idea what to do. While I was talking about this massive problem with two of them, the other wandered off. Five minutes later he returned: "No problem lads, we're in." I didn't ask.
Besides, it wouldn't be audacious if success were guaranteed.

mmmmartin

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Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #40 on: 05 February, 2021, 10:43:13 pm »
Also, it would be rude of me to not mention the catering at Moffat, where I spent a very happy couple of days with Chris Crosland helping out and the catering was really very good. It was also good on the previous LEL and I remember that because I had a fabulous meal before packing and heading south.
Besides, it wouldn't be audacious if success were guaranteed.

mmmmartin

  • BPB 1/1: PBP 0/1
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Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #41 on: 05 February, 2021, 10:49:29 pm »
Gosh this makes me feel happy, remembering all those great times. After helping at the start, then taking the train to Moffat I was driven to eskdalemuir and I was a bit shot away by then so can't remember who did the catering but I think it was ladies from the village: they were unbreakable. We had bodies all over every section of the floor and people still coming in. They didn't blink an eyelid. It might have looked different behind the counter, but from where it was it ran on rails. It was great to be part of that. My only mistake was not buying an LEL Volunter jersey. My mate has one and you can see riders looking at it. It's not like he rode it: he made it possible.
Besides, it wouldn't be audacious if success were guaranteed.

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #42 on: 06 February, 2021, 10:03:06 am »
Gosh this makes me feel happy, remembering all those great times. After helping at the start, then taking the train to Moffat I was driven to eskdalemuir and I was a bit shot away by then so can't remember who did the catering but I think it was ladies from the village: they were unbreakable. We had bodies all over every section of the floor and people still coming in. They didn't blink an eyelid. It might have looked different behind the counter, but from where it was it ran on rails. It was great to be part of that. My only mistake was not buying an LEL Volunter jersey. My mate has one and you can see riders looking at it. It's not like he rode it: he made it possible.

This was their third LEL - they were used to it! They certainly expressed some surprise at their first time, back in 2009 (when our facilities were rather less refined; indeed, very "rather less" in all respects) but quickly rallied round and some offered floor space in their homes. They tried, unsuccessfully, to get the second village hall opened up as well. I think this is now part of the Eskdalemuir control set-up.

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #43 on: 07 February, 2021, 12:05:04 pm »
Grant Huggins was managing food at Great Easton

  He also ran the Great Easton kitchen in 2013 when I was controller.

Did he?  ;)
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

Tomsk

  • Fueled by cake since 1957
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Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #44 on: 07 February, 2021, 05:19:59 pm »
He also ran the Great Easton kitchen in 2013 when I was controller.
[/quote]

Did he?  ;)
[/quote]

Oops, failing memory, red face here, Redight! All wonderful hardworking people though!  ;D

Redlight

  • Enjoying life in the slow lane
Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #45 on: 07 February, 2021, 07:04:58 pm »

Oops, failing memory, red face here, Redight! All wonderful hardworking people though!  ;D

You're forgiven  ;D
Why should anybody steal a watch when they can steal a bicycle?

Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #46 on: 10 February, 2021, 11:05:46 am »
I remember the kitchen at St Ives being almost over run by starving marauders on the way out. The tail wind brought them in one rush and we just about managed to cook quickly enough to keep up with demand for pasties and Bacon rolls. I was particularly impressed by our Japanese comrades who seemed game to try anything as long as it came in large.

I think we just about held the line and the only complaint was from a brit who was vpvcally disappointed that we were not offering black pudding (but I guess we've all experienced food obsession when a control is a couple of hours away only to have our hopes dashed by a cold Ginsters).

mmmmartin

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Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #47 on: 10 February, 2021, 11:34:52 pm »
a cold Ginsters).
STOP! JUST STOP! What I wouldn't give to eat a cold Ginsters at 3am standing in a village hall somewhere while my legs struggled to keep me upright and my head was spinning after getting off the bike.

Happy days. 😊
Besides, it wouldn't be audacious if success were guaranteed.

CrazyEnglishTriathlete

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Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #48 on: 11 February, 2021, 08:58:40 pm »
3am feasts.  Brings back memories.  Sitting on the concrete slab of a disused petrol station south of Horncastle on the way to York for the AUK reunion and knowing that the shortbread fingers in my rackpack were, indeed, the most beautiful thing in the known world.
Eddington Numbers 130 (imperial), 182 (metric) 571 (furlongs)  114 (nautical miles)

mmmmartin

  • BPB 1/1: PBP 0/1
    • FNRttC
Re: LEL 2021
« Reply #49 on: 13 February, 2021, 10:48:44 pm »
3am feasts.  Brings back memories.  Sitting on the concrete slab of a disused petrol station south of Horncastle on the way to York for the AUK reunion and knowing that the shortbread fingers in my rackpack were, indeed, the most beautiful thing in the known world.
Fabulous. Right now I'm thinking of the absolutely wonderful sandwich on the north coast of Norfolk just before the Co-op closed, and the instruction to turn left on to a main road. Which I did. The next control was Barton Mills. *Almost five hours later* I rolled into the garage at Barton Mills where a lovely young lady was rather bemused by a dozen cyclists asleep on the floor. I joined them for 20 minutes. Then set off for the final control.
That ride was one of those that got me into PBP. Happy days. Right now I'd give my eye teeth to do that again.
Besides, it wouldn't be audacious if success were guaranteed.