London-Edinburgh-London

London-Edinburgh-London "(LEL)" is a randonnée bicycle event of approximately 1400km held in the UK on an out-and-back course between the capital cities of London (England) and Edinburgh (Scotland). It is believed to be the longest regularly scheduled grand randonnée to be sanctioned by the Randonneurs Mondiaux.

LEL is regarded as the British equivalent of Paris-Brest-Paris and is the flag ship event of Audax UK. It is held every 4 years, 2 years apart from the quadrennial Paris-Brest-Paris.

It is part of the brevet series and is intended to be a noncompetitive endurance bicycle event.

The first LEL was held in 1989, when there were just 29 starters and 26 finishers, all of them British. For that inaugural ride, the distance was 1300km, and the route included a stretch of the infamous A68 highway. Finishers of that original event are sometimes referred to as members of the "A68 club". The inaugural ride also did not start in London, but in Doncaster, the home town of the organizer. Riders headed first North to Edinburgh and back, then South to London and back. Because of this, and also the distance (100km longer than PBP) and the tough hills in the Northern half of the event, 2 of the riders coined it as the ride "to EL and back".

For the fifth and most recent edition in 2005, there were 306 starters and 246 finishers, from the UK, mainland Europe and other countries around the world, including Japan, Russia, Australia, the USA and Canada. Riders set out either from Cheshunt, on the Northern outskirts of Greater London, or from Thorne, close to the original Doncaster start.

There will be some changes in 2009. First, the ride will start (and end) in Cheshunt only. Second, riders can choose between three starting times (8, 14 or 20 o'clock) and - independently from the starting time - between three time limits (116:40, 105:16 or 93:20h).

ee also

*Audax UK

External links

* [http://www.londonedinburghlondon.co.uk LEL London-Edinburgh-London 1400k (UK)]