This is the latest in my series of posts about the London Edinburgh London audax event in August 2025. Read part one here (my road to LEL), part 2 here (lessons from the 400k London Wales London audax), part 3 here (even harder lessons from the Bryan Chapman Memorial 600k audax), part 4 here (volunteers put together the LEL rider starter packs) and part 5 here (packing tips for LEL riders).
Danial Webb cut a lonely figure standing at the 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 the curtailment of the event.
The next day, when I met him at Louth, Danial told me that he slept easily that night, confident that the decision guaranteed the safety of over 2,400 LEL riders from around the world. I was one of those cyclists, and I confess that I felt a sense of relief at the decision as I heard the news at the LEL control at Malton, North Yorkshire. Not because I was looking to get out of a challenge I cherished, but because I was genuinely worried about the storm, which forced the closure of Scottish bridges and ferries and left a trail of destruction across Scotland. (Not to mention the first cancellation of a performance at Edinburgh’s military tattoo in 75 years.) The organisers made the only possible decision. I can only guess at the size of the logistical challenge this caused them.
Earlier on that second day of LEL 2025, the organisers had paused the event, holding riders when they reached a control point. (These are places where riders get food and a rest, typically located in a school.) I was held when I got to Malton at 2pm. We heard about the decision to cancel the loop to Edinburgh late that afternoon. Incidentally, the storm was named Floris by the Dutch weather service KNMI, and means ‘flowering’ in English. Ironic given the thousands of flowers and branches uprooted in northern England and Scotland…
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