Storm Floris Edition – August 2025
Thanks to Bernard for some of the photos.
There are many accounts of the 2025 edition of London Edinburgh London, to the extent that I may not have much to add. It became clear that there was no way I could attempt to ride it, and when Peter asked if I would volunteer again I found it hard to say no. After previous editions at Barnard Castle we ‘moved house’ to Richmond, in particular their school. Quite a contrast, with this being a modern airy building.
As usual with team Davis everything was very well organised. I arrived at North Allerton train station and met up with a few other volunteers including a driver who took us to Richmond. On arrival we were shown around the place, pitched tents or campbeds as appropriate (I was in a tent, I’d rather have my own space) and worked out things like how to turn the lights on (in a secondary school hall the light switches are away from fiddling hands). This was literally the calm before the storm.
We knew the forecast was for very strong winds. One of the other volunteers was camping in the same ‘bay’ as me, where we were sheltered by a single storey building on three sides. His tent was half blown away. Conditions up on the pennines, crossing over Yad Moss, must have been awful.
And so it was that Danial climbed half way up the staircase which ran through the dining hall we were in, and announced that the event was suspended. No one could leave – well, we weren’t locking the doors and taking prisoners, but if they did they would be disqualified. However riders kept arriving. So we ended up bursting at the seems, trying to accommodate and feed them all. Without a dishwasher.
Eventually it was announced that riders could return on the south-bound route from wherever they were when they stopped. Many were keen to have their brevet cards stamped in the return box, so we set up a desk and volunteer with the stamp, and some ‘pens’ made up of the metal barriers to allow a slow release of cyclists into what had become a bright, dry day.
Then began the clean-up operation, a perfect illustration of many hands making light work. Bryn took charge for this, I think he’s being groomed to run a future control. And very good he would be at it.
