In the immortal words of The Beatles, I’m now a paperback writer! I have just published Riders of the Storm, an account of the most dramatic edition of London Edinburgh London (LEL), one of the world’s greatest amateur cycling events.

Last August, around 2,300 cyclist from over 50 countries set off from Essex and the City of London to ride 1,500km to Edinburgh and back in five days. I was one of them. But Mother Nature had other ideas, inflicting Storm Floris on us on day two. This was the fiercest summer storm to hit Great Britain for years, forcing the organisers to halt and then cut short the event to keep us safe.

The prologue to the book should give you a flavour of the story:

‘Danial Webb cut a lonely figure standing at the exposed summit of Yad Moss. Barely 24 hours into the event, the London Edinburgh London director’s lanyard was dancing crazily in the face of Storm Floris as he shared the bitter news that the storm had forced its curtailment. The dream of riding to Edinburgh and back on one of the world’s greatest cycling events was over for all but one rider. 

Earlier that day, I had reached rock bottom. Cycling through the Yorkshire Wolds I was barely moving as I ground my way uphill into the full force of the tempest, and the thought of cycling over the lonely northern hills weighed heavily on my mind. 

I had set off from Louth in Lincolnshire at 6am that Monday morning. Crossing the Humber Bridge was a struggle as Storm Floris made itself felt, with heavy rain and a howling wind. This was not the scenic crossing I envisaged when dreaming of London Edinburgh London. Yet within 24 hours I was enjoying one of the best experiences of my cycling life, tasting the true community spirit of endurance cycling. None of us will ever forget the adventure that was London Floris London.’

I’d been dreaming of taking part in LEL since the dark days of the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced the postponement of the 2021 edition by a year. I was inspired by the stories told by past participants, especially Andy Allsopp, whose book Barring Mechanicals included a dramatic account of sheltering from a tremendous storm in the Scottish Borders. This hinted at what we would face in 2025.

As a rider, I was keen to turn my own LEL adventure into a book to encourage those entering future editions. But when the 2025 event was cut short by Storm Floris, I thought my plans for this book were doomed. Who’d want to read an account of London Malton London?

But then I realised that the drama of London Floris London, as the 2025 edition was quickly renamed, could make an even better story. Why not include accounts from seven other riders, including the only rider to complete the whole route, Ian McBride? And the extraordinary, searingly honest account of one of the two women to reach Scotland, Therese Johansson?

Just as compelling was the inspiring tale of how a thousand volunteers worked tirelessly around the clock to keep us safe, fed and inspired. And what about revealing the inside story from the organisers? Their plans had been destroyed by the storm, and they faced the massive task of moving volunteers and supplies from deserted halls in Scotland to serve the army of riders now massing south of the border.   

In the final part of the book, I include tips for future riders of London Edinburgh London, which will also be relevant for many other endurance cycling events. I point out this is not a training guide; I barely know my FTP from my IF, so anyone looking for training plans will find people far better placed to help. But I suggested that following my advice could save a reader from being stranded, cold and hungry, by the side of a Scottish loch in the middle of the night. That alone may be worth the cover price of Riders of the Storm…

Long-distance cycling is an extraordinary community. I loved the following anecdote featured in the book:

‘The young woman from Berlin was crying. She’d just finished London Edinburgh London 2025, and between the tears asked Danial Webb “Why am I sobbing?”

‘The LEL director’s response was revealing. “I think the reason you’re sobbing is because you’ve just experienced something you don’t experience in urban life anymore, which is a community.” That one answer tells us something fundamental about events like LEL.’

Above: images of LEL 2025

Writing Riders of the Storm was both a challenge and a joy. I’d never written a book before, and it was like running a marathon rather than a sprint. I found it wasn’t something I could dip into from time to time: I made most progress when I devoted large chunks of my week to writing.

The greatest pleasure was in talking to people who’d been part of LEL 2025. So many were generous with their time. Organiser Danial Webb kindly gave me a lengthy interview with fascinating insights into how he and his team managed the greatest crisis in the event’s history. Ian McBride was a delight to chat to. He became the only rider to get to Edinburgh because when he heard that the event was about to be paused he put down his bowl of porridge and jumped back on his bike to rejoin the road to the Scottish capital. Others, including Therese Johansson from Sweden and Radha Krishnan from India, were very open about the dark moments they faced. And I should call out LEL communications leader Liam FitzPatrick, who gave me a valuable critique of an early draft.

If this sounds like an interesting story, you can buy Riders of the Storm as a paperback and a Kindle ebook from Amazon’s UK and international websites.