SearchCan you help out and join the fun on LEL 2022?
Friday, 18 February 2022
Along the way there are thirteen control points where riders can rest, eat and drink, sleep, get their bike looked at, and generally take a break from riding. These control points are staffed by volunteers, and the organisers have got in touch with us and invited members of CTC Cambridge to help out and join the fun.
Liam, one of the organisers of LEL 2022, writes:
It is more than a challenging cycle ride: because LEL is run by volunteers, it is a celebration of the community spirit of cycling. Riders are able to keep going because of the help they receive at the control points along the way from an army of tea makers, dormitory supervisors, spoke fixers, bottle fillers, cooks and empathy sharers. Past volunteers talk fondly of the fun they have had and of the camaraderie that develops among the crews who come together.It is particularly helpful to have experienced cyclists helping out; it makes for a distinctive atmosphere and is one of the things that keeps the entrants going.
There are controls all along the route and we need volunteers at all of them. CTC Cambridge members will be welcome wherever they want to get involved but your closest control will be in St Ives, which riders will visit twice.
- Outbound riders will need welcoming and feeding at the St Ives control on Sunday 7 August until late into the night.
- Returning riders will call at the St Ives control before making the final push back to London between Tuesday 9 and Friday 12 August.
Volunteers will be helpful for all of these days or even just for a few hours during the busiest times.
People can sign up on the LEL volunteer page. You can say what you're interested in helping with. You don't have to have any special skills to help our, but if you do (or if you have any foreign language abilities) then please do tell us. There are lots of other control points: there's one south of Cambridge at Great Easton in Essex, southbound only.
Helping out on London Edinburgh London is a brilliant contribution to an iconic event – and the best fun a cyclist can have off the bike!
Outside the control, riders need guiding and their bikes need supervising. This is the control at Louth, Lincolnshire on LEL 2017Nigel adds: Several people from CTC Cambridge took part in LEL in 2017, both as riders and as volunteers. I was one of the riders, and it was lovely to be welcomed by two local members I had cycled with many times when I visited the St Ives control point on the way north. One of them was Eva, who writes about her experience as a volunteer below (the other member was Ian D, who was serving refreshing drinks). I remember being welcomed (and served food) by Eva a few days later when I arrived back at St Ives after a gruelling day riding south into a ferocious headwind.
And several hours after that (and following a short sleep) I remember being welcomed by club member Andrew when I arrived at Great Easton, Essex, in the middle of the night. I arrived there at about 3am, to be welcomed by a friendly voice in the darkness asking me "Hi Nigel, are you still planning to lead the club ride next week?" Nigel
St Ives control in 2017. In the background, behind the food counter, Eva is serving food. In the foreground, Nigel and Alex rest and eat a meal on their way north.Eva writes: Thinking about volunteering for LEL 2022? I highly recommend it! I was a volunteer in 2017 at the St Ives checkpoint. The whole experience was a great deal of fun and it was amazing to see how volunteers transformed a school premises in to a 24 hour cycle hub within a couple of days.
I think St Ives is the best checkpoint; it is the first checkpoint from the start in London, so on the first day you see fresh, enthusiastic cyclists embarking on their journey and then a few days later they return as tired warriors absolutely focussed on completing the final part of their journey in the allotted time.
I worked in the kitchen, preparing and serving food for hundreds of hungry cyclists, and as I hold a first aid certificate, they utilised those skills too. There are lots of other jobs such as bike maintenance, cleaning, administration and working in the dorms. I volunteered for several days and worked day and night shifts, but you do as much or as little as you like.
For me, the highlights were seeing all sorts of cyclists taking part in this epic event, riders who passed though the checkpoint in ridiculously fast times not even stopping for a drink, the international cyclists who had travelled from overseas to take part, and of course our very own club riders, it was a proud moment when they came through! It was interesting to see how people had rigged their cycles for the ride, and who wouldn't enjoy gazing at some super bikes!
The atmosphere was so friendly; the volunteers were mainly cyclists so there was lots and lots of bike chat as we worked. Some had completed LEL in previous years, others were thinking about signing up for a future event and it's a great way to find out more. The participants were friendly and clearly very grateful for the services provided. There is no denying that it was hard work (I would describe it as extreme volunteering!) but it was very satisfying and enjoyable and I am looking forward to volunteering again at this year's event. Eva
Thinking of volunteering? Read about Jacqueline's experience. Sign up on the LEL volunteer page.