London–Edinburgh–London ''(LEL)'' is a randonnée bicycle event of approximately over an out-and-back course between the capital cities of

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

(England) and

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

(Scotland). It has been described as a contender for hardest cycling event in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. The event has been held every four years since 1989, with the ninth event starting on 7 August 2022.

Description and history

LEL is the flagship event of

Audax UK Audax UK or AUK is a British cycling club that oversees randonneuring (long-distance cycling) in the United Kingdom. It was formed in 1976 to help British riders complete the qualifying rides for entry to the Paris-Brest-Paris randonee. Audax ...

. It is held every four years, two years after Paris–Brest–Paris. It is part of the brevet series and is a noncompetitive endurance bicycle event.

1989 to 2001

The first LEL was in 1989, when there were 29 starters and 26 finishers, all British. For that inaugural ride, the distance was , and the route included a stretch of the A68 road. Finishers of that original event are sometimes referred to as the A68 Club. The inaugural ride did not start in London, but in

Doncaster Doncaster (, ) is a city in South Yorkshire, England. Named after the River Don, it is the administrative centre of the larger City of Doncaster. It is the second largest settlement in South Yorkshire after Sheffield. Doncaster is situated in ...

, the home town of the organiser. Riders headed first north to

and back, then south to

and back.

2005

For the fifth edition in 2005, there were 306 starters and 246 finishers, from the UK, mainland Europe, and other countries including Japan, Russia, Australia, the USA, and Canada. Riders set out from

Cheshunt Cheshunt ( ) is a town in Hertfordshire, England, north of London on the River Lea and Lee Navigation. It contains a section of the Lee Valley Park, including much of the River Lee Country Park. To the north lies Broxbourne and Wormley, ...

, on the northern outskirts of London, or from Thorne, close to the original

start. The 2005 route was just over 1360km long and arrived in Edinburgh via The Granites.

2009

31 nations took part in the 2009 ride, which started and ended at

2013

The 2013 edition was held between 28 July and 2 August and 34 nations took part. In a departure from previous editions, the route took a loop through Scotland, and for the first time passed over the Humber Bridge. 805 riders finished the event in 2013.

2017

The 2017 edition took place between 30 July and 4 August 2017, attracting 1600 entrants from 55 nations. 810 of these finished in time. The 2017 route was 1441km long and had 11,128m of climbing. The time allowance was 117 hours 05 minutes, or 100 hours for those riders who choose it. The ride started and ended at

Davenant Foundation School Davenant Foundation School is a Christian Ecumenical secondary school, founded in 1680, currently in Loughton, Essex, England. History Foundation in Whitechapel In February 1680 the Reverend Ralph Davenant, rector of St Mary's Whitechape ...

in Loughton. The control points/accommodation stops were at: *Great Easton (southbound only) * St Ivo School in St Ives *

Spalding Grammar School Spalding Grammar School (SGS), fully known as The Queen Elizabeth Royal Free Grammar School Spalding, is a boys' grammar school in Spalding, Lincolnshire, England. History The school was founded in 1588 by royal charter, applied for by a ...

* King Edward VI Grammar School in Louth *

Pocklington School Pocklington School is an independent school in Pocklington, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1514 by John Dolman. The school is situated in of land, on the outskirts of the small market town, from York and from Hull. ...

Coxwold Coxwold is a village and civil parish in the Hambleton District of North Yorkshire, England, in the North York Moors, North York Moors National Park. It is 18 miles north of York and is where the Rev. Laurence Sterne wrote ''A Sentimental Jour ...

(optional shelter) * Thirsk School *

Barnard Castle School ''When you are steeped in little things, you shall safely attempt great things.'' , established = 1883 , type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding school , religious_affiliation = Inter-denominational with a non-conformist Christian ...

* Alston (optional shelter) *

William Howard School The William Howard School is a co-educational secondary academy school on ''Longtown Road'' ( A6071) in Brampton, Cumbria, England for pupils aged 11–18. History The school is named after Lord William Howard (1563–1640), who was the third ...

in Brampton * Moffat Academy (northbound only) *

Eskdalemuir Eskdalemuir is a civil parish and small village in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, with a population of 265.

(southbound only) *Innerleithen (southbound only) * Gracemount High School in Edinburgh All other controls were used in both directions.

2022

The 2021 event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result took place between 7 and 12 August 2022. The route was extended to 1540km, with a time allowance of 128 hours and 20 minutes for the main group and 100 hours for the first group. The route extended out to Dunfermline so included a crossing of the Firth of Forth, and passed through Edinburgh city centre.About LEL 2022 https://londonedinburghlondon.com/about

References

External links

London Edinburgh London official site
Cycling events in the United Kingdom Cycling in England Cycling in Scotland Ultra-distance cycling {{Cycling-stub