Compiling a more complete history of LEL - HELP NEEDED!

[Ivo]

Could you include something on the ladies?  We have been a small and exclusive bunch until recently. Not many repeat offenders plus fist laid back LEL on last edition by Vicki Tyer.

I'd say that Jedrik crossed the line earlier, the first solo lady in a velomobile on LEL.



The first male velomobile on LEL might be Robert Lammerts in 2005.

[Exit Stage Left]

There was a strong German lady who started from Thorne in 2005, Astrid Muth. We had a number of Germans starting from Thorne over the years. I got two interviews with Jedrik on LEL 2013. One joking about the claim to be the first lady on recumbent, that was at the start.

[Wobbly]

Vicki rode solo bent. Not the same as the push me pull me tandem that Linda rode. Therefore Vicki still in the first category as it takes some courage and ability to ride solo bent as a lady around grand brevets.

I rode for a while with Vicki in Scotland and she was quite comically terrified of the huge logging lorries thundering past on the very narrow lanes. With hindsight she probably had a point 

[Exit Stage Left]

I was looking at the AUK results lists of 2001 and 2005. In 2001 there are no non-members listed, and in 2005 the non-members don't get named. Is there a named list of finishers on a link somewhere?

[Greenbank]

I was looking at the AUK results lists of 2001 and 2005. In 2001 there are no non-members listed, and in 2005 the non-members don't get named. Is there a named list of finishers on a link somewhere?

The LRM website (no longer looking like a Geocities page) used to list them.

*googles*

2005 here: http://www.randonneursmondiaux.org/17-2006.html

More via Homologations -> year (rounding up)

[Exit Stage Left]

Interesting, as it gives the times. The 2001 is ranked with the London start, and then the Thorne, so you can compare. The Thorne looks to be slower, I think there was a tailwind to Edinburgh that year, which would help explain it.

http://www.randonneursmondiaux.org/15-2001.html

Was the fastest time in 2005?

2302   WALLER   Howard   62h39   United Kingdom

[hellymedic]

Interesting, as it gives the times. The 2001 is ranked with the London start, and then the Thorne, so you can compare. The Thorne looks to be slower, I think there was a tailwind to Edinburgh that year, which would help explain it.

http://www.randonneursmondiaux.org/15-2001.html

Was the fastest time in 2005?

2302   WALLER   Howard   62h39   United Kingdom

I might have some photos of oranj at the Arrivée somewhere...

[MikeFromLFE]

 I've got a couple of Arrivee compendiums that were issued way back when Arrivee was A5 size and all b&w, I'm sure one of those has a write up of the early LEL events - if you haven't seen this then just ask, and I'll gird my loins for a trip into the loft.


Tapatalk puts this signature here, not me!

[Ian H]

Interesting, as it gives the times. The 2001 is ranked with the London start, and then the Thorne, so you can compare. The Thorne looks to be slower, I think there was a tailwind to Edinburgh that year, which would help explain it.

http://www.randonneursmondiaux.org/15-2001.html

Was the fastest time in 2005?

2302   WALLER   Howard   62h39   United Kingdom

Elly and I happened to be up there, and wandered into the control as Howard arrived looking slightly dazed.  I seem to recall they were not quite ready and had to improvise a bed for him.  20 mins later he rose again and left, still looking slightly dazed.

[Ian H]

Salvatore has all the names here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnspooner/5456780708/

Ah!  I thought I recognised number 7.  Mad Jack would like that photo.

[Salvatore]

I'm pretty sure the first overseas riders to complete LEL were Canadians Gordon Cook and Manfred Kuchenmuller in 1993. Harold Bridge also started but turned back after leaving Edinburgh and got the train back to Donny.

Also in 1993 Paul Sinte (Northern Ireland, it's not in AUK's jurisdiction so I suppose it counts as overseas, as well as being over the sea). I had met him in NI through a mutual (non-cycling) friend while I was touring in NI in 1990 or 1991, and told him about LEL. Next time I saw him was at Kidderminster in the Scout Hall the evening before the 1993 Elenith, and then at the start of LEL.

[I met Manfred again 3  years ago at Hamburg-Berlin-Köln-Hamburg. He felt he had to ride it because he lived the first couple of years of his life in Hamburg, having been born in 1942. When the bombing got too bad, his father took the family into the the countryside and found a family at a farm at Trittau which agreed to put them up. Trittau is very near the start of HBK, and he had visited the descendants of the people who had taken him in.]

[Willesden guy]

I can remember the two Canadians, Gordon and Manfred. I was helping Tracy Horsman run the London control when they arrived. One of them, can't remember which, had swollen knees and feet and wanted to pack. I spent about 20 minutes massaging his legs back to life and persuading him to carry on.

I also vaguely remember that they had some sort of early bike computers not seen in the UK before, showing distances and temperature, amongst other data. They might even have had tribars, but this needs confirmation.

I think the first rider into the control was Peter Coulson, closely followed by George Berwick and Mr Gray (can't remember his first name), but he was one of AUK's fastest riders at the time.

[Exit Stage Left]

That might be the root of George Berwick's trip to British Columbia for a 2000km in 2000. He wrote an account in Scots.

http://www.randonneurs.bc.ca/newsletter/submissions_2001/n1-08_berwick.html

[Willesden guy]

How does one add attachments to this formum? I clicked on the icon saying "Insert image" but couldn't navigate to the pic. Couldn't use drag and drop either.

I've got some pics from 1971 which might be interesting to some.

[frankly frankie]

You need to host the images elsewhere unfortunately, and then link to them (you can see how to link by inspecting a 'quote' from any existing message with an image)

I was looking at the AUK results lists of 2001 and 2005. In 2001 there are no non-members listed, and in 2005 the non-members don't get named. Is there a named list of finishers on a link somewhere?

All the finish lists are available on the AUK website, using this link:
http://www.aukweb.net/results/lel/
(you can also navigate to here via the sidebar)

Ian and Suzie Gray were two more notable 'overseas' riders in 1993, though they were living in the UK (and AUK members) at the time they moved back to Australia shortly afterwards.  Ian also won the Mersey 24 during the short time they were here.  Suzie was known in Oz as a racer on penny-farthing. 

[hellymedic]

How does one add attachments to this formum? I clicked on the icon saying "Insert image" but couldn't navigate to the pic. Couldn't use drag and drop either.

I've got some pics from 1971 which might be interesting to some.

You need to host your images on a site like Flickr or Photobucket and grab the code to insert between img tags.

https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=66552.msg1381018#msg1381018

[Exit Stage Left]

I was looking at the AUK results lists of 2001 and 2005. In 2001 there are no non-members listed, and in 2005 the non-members don't get named. Is there a named list of finishers on a link somewhere?

All the finish lists are available on the AUK website, using this link:
http://www.aukweb.net/results/lel/
(you can also navigate to here via the sidebar)

I remember the finishers list in Arrivee. It also had the first graphic of control use. That inforned the provision of Langdon Beck and Alston as controls in 2005. It was envisaged that Langdon Beck would come on stream for the coincidence of the Thorne and Lea Valley starts.

However, Heather wanted to set up to cater for both starts. The result was that few Thorne riders stopped at Langdon Beck on the way out, and everyone got a bit bored. Alston was better spaced from the previous control at Eppleby, and big queues ensued there.

I stopped at Langdon Beck out of loyalty, and it was the best service at a control ever. On the way back I bought a bottle of Australian Shiraz at the Co-Op in Alston to drink with dinner, before retiring to bed, a proper one, with sheets.

http://www.aukweb.net/_resources/files/results/lel/lel2001.pdf

[hellymedic]

I have some prints from Thorne in 1997 in a drawer under my bed.
I can unearth these on request.
I can probably unearth a grey LEL T-shaped shirt.
Have photos of Oranj's return in 2005.

I am wearing the 1997 T-shaped shirt today.

Definitely 'Edinburgh-London'...

[Exit Stage Left]

I've been looking through the 2005 LEL video. I was my first sustained effort at narration, and I sound like Marvin the Paranoid Android on it. That always happens when you start doing these things.

The two starts generated the need for explanation. However, the crossing and recrossing of the London and Thorne riders, along with Heather filming at Langdon Beck and Dave between Coxwold and Innerleithen gave a good coverage. The out and back route in the Borders helped too. So I encountered Robert Lammerts in his blue velomobile twice, and Heather saw him at Langdon Beck.

It's over an hour long, as I wanted to keep a lot in as a record. Here's the first 16 minutes or so of nostalgia.