Full marks for style and ambition for Drew Buck, who was riding a retro two-speed Hirondelle - Charlotte Barnes
Audax UK’s flagship 1,400km London Edinburgh London event kicked off on the Mall on 28 July 2013, at 5.30am - Charlotte Barnes
Almost 1,000 riders took part in the 2013 London Edinburgh London, on anything from regular carbon road bikes to disc-wheeled recumbent bikes - Charlotte Barnes
Some of the 997 London Edinburgh London starters brought along high profile carbon wheels - Charlotte Barnes
The pro rider’s maxim of 'don’t stand when you can sit' translates to 'don’t sit when you can lie' for many ultra-distance riders - Charlotte Barnes
Cameras, a GPS and the biggest aero saddle bag we’ve ever seen on this lady’s bike - Charlotte Barnes
Not an early morning commuter but a relaxed London Edinburgh London participant on a Moulton - Charlotte Barnes
Participant Drew Buck was still going strong at the control point at Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, despite his seriously retro two-speed Hirondelle bicycle - Charlotte Barnes
Spirits were still running high towards the end of day one of the 2013 London Edinburgh London - Charlotte Barnes
The sun was shining on London Edinburgh London riders heading over the Humber Bridge - Charlotte Barnes
The London Edinburgh London attracts some super-sleek aerodynamic pedal machines - Charlotte Barnes
London Edinburgh London riders don't stop often – and definitely not just becasue it's getting dark - Charlotte Barnes
At 5am on Friday morning, the seventh 1,419km London Edinburgh London ride finished in the UK capital. Every four years, Audax UK stake a claim for the hardest cycling event in the country with the 881-mile route between the two cities.
At 5.30am on 28 July, 997 riders got underway on The Mall, in central London. The course followed a route up the east coast before coming inland, skirting to the west of the North York Moors, crossing into Scotland near Carlisle, and turning back down south on the outskirts of Edinburgh. Riders pass through checkpoints and have brevet cards stamped to show they have completed the distance.
The first rider to get back to London – in a swift time of 65 hours (an average speed of 21.8km/h) – was Anco de Jong, from the Netherlands. And spare a thought Drew Buck – dressed in a beret and stripy jersey, he rode a two-speed Hirondelle popular in the early 20th century. He was just over 100 miles from London at lunchtime yesterday.
london-edinburgh-london riders don't stop often - and definitely not just becasue it's getting dark: london-edinburgh-london riders don't stop often - and definitely not just becasue it's getting dark - Charlotte Barnes
Sam Dansie is a former contributor to BikeRadar. With 15 years experience working in cycling media, Sam also worked for Procycling and was a script writer for GCN.
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