Photo: Team Gino

After my first London-Edinburgh-London in 2022 I called my blog entry “LEL, it’s a people thing“

The 2025 edition, 3rd – 8th August, was even more about people. One in particular.

My dear friend Gino fell off his bike last year and now has tetraplegia, paralysed from the chest down.

During the winter of 2024/25 friends from Islington Cycling Club (ICC) discussed how we could raise money for him. Typical of the man he told us he’d rather we raised money for Spinal Research as more people would benefit. GIRO FOR GINO was born.

ICC decided to make Spinal Research it’s official charity for 2025. We set up Team Gino on JustGiving as the umbrella page with a target of £20,000 with each event having it’s own page.

GIRO FOR GINO‘s page:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/lelgiroforgino

Spinal Research wrote a brilliant Press Release which started with:

Eleven years ago Colin Fisher was nearly paralysed in a skiing accident. This weekend he takes on an epic endurance challenge for Spinal Research to support his close friend paralysed in a freak cycling crash.

Colin is among four members of the Islington Cycling Club taking on the gruelling London-Edinburgh-London Audax – a 1,530km (950 miles) ride that must be completed in under 128 hours.

The Club is supporting us after popular member James ‘Gino’ Murphy was paralysed from the shoulders down. “This is not just another ride, it really means a lot to me and I think it’s going to be very emotional,” said 65-year-old Colin from Islington.

“When I suffered my own serious spinal injury in 2014, I needed a six-hour operation to replace shattered vertebra with a titanium cage and to have titanium poles inserted down my spine to support me for the rest of my life.

“I was unbelievably lucky that day. I walked away but my good friend Gino didn’t. This is for him …”

The full text of the Press Release: https://spinal-research.org/news/i-was-lucky-my-friend-wasnt-this-is-for-him/

We targetted £5,000 for GIRO FOR GINO.

LEL 2025 wasn’t so much about the cycling but about Gino and the people we met along the way.

Registration, Writtle College (Saturday)

It was about seeing Nigel from the USA who I’d met on the eve of my first Paris – Brest – Paris (PBP) in 2019 and kept in touch online.

It was about seeing Henning, Uwe and Thomas from Germany that I’d met on different audaxes across Europe. The most notable of which was helping Thomas complete the 1001Miglia in 2021.

It was about seeing Jens and Oliver from Denmark. I’ve ridden with Jens a few times over the years but met Oliver for the first time last year on the Slagelse Sløjfe 1,300.

It was about seeing Maggie from Malaysia who I’d met on PBP 2019 and kept in touch online ever since.

SEND OFF, Great Northern Railway Tavern (Saturday)

It was about getting back to London after registration for an emotional send off from Gino and a great turn out of ICC members. TEAM GINO L-R David, Colin, Lorenzo, Rachel, Mike and the man himself (no Chris as he was having emergency treatment for his shoulder pain).

Lorenzo and Rachel were friends from Audax Randonneur Italia who travelled from Italy to be part of the team.

Day 1, The Guidhall, City of London to Malton (Sunday)

It was about getting to the Guildhall (0 km) before 05:00 to see our star rider David off. Seen here with LEL Supremo Danial.

It was about seeing Chris from our team not dressed in his cycling kit. His shoulder pain was just too much to start. A good decision as he ended up in hospital, but is back home now. So sorry Chris.

It was about catching up with Andrew at Somersham (134 km) from my new club Tenterden Cycling Club. I’d only joined two weeks before and was delighted to discover another member riding. I won’t tell you his age but I’m impressed it was his first LEL. As an ‘old hand’ at this game Andrew had taken up my offer to chat before the event so I could give him some tips.

It was about meeting friends Keith & Christine at the Louth Control (274 km). We’ve been friends for 21 years but hadn’t seen each other of late so a lot to catch up on. We didn’t have long as the rest of the team were planning on a quick stop and go. After half an hour I had to ride like the clappers to catch the rest.

It was about being exhausted after half an hour of riding trying to catch the team. Stopping (286 km) to ask the question “How close to the next control are you?” I couldn’t believe the reply. “We’re still in Louth”. They had decided to stay to eat and spend an hour at the control. Just one small detail missing. They forgot to tell me. Shit happens.

It was about coming up behind a rider near North Elkington (279 km) when I was pushing hard to catch my team when I saw a plate on the bike ahead. An England flag and the word Jason. Could it be? I got closer to see his surname on his LEL plate. It was him. “Hi Jason, it’s Colin”. We’d never met but Jason contacted me last year to ask some advice on riding in Italy. It was great to meet in the flesh. Our paths crossed a few times over the coming days.

It was about crossing the Humber Bridge (330 km) and hearing a voice from behind “Is that you Colin?”. It was David. This was the second time we’d met. The first time was two weeks previously when he came up to me on the Dunwich Dynamo as he recognised me from my Strava.

It was about Siobhan, the Control Leader at Malton (402 km), our first sleep stop, who’d kindly agreed to dry our GIRO FOR GINO jerseys so that we could pick them up on our return and wear them on the last day back to London.

Day 2, Malton to Richmond (Monday)

It was about meeting a lovely Yorkshire lady outside a café in Easingwold (432 km). “I wouldn’t stop there if I were you. The cafés in the Market Square are much better. They don’t have an espresso machine here”. That was it. When we, but especially Lorenzo and Rachel heard the words “..don’t have an espresso machine…” we headed for the Market Square.

It was about meeting another lovely Yorkshire lady, Rebecca, the owner of the TeaHee café. She was in the window of the house above the café. “Do you have an espresso machine?”… “We do”. That was enough for us. The coffee was really good, so were the flapjacks but the welcome was the best of all. If you’re ever in the area, highly recommended.

Then it became all about the most formidable lady of the whole ride. Floris. We struggled in the rain and against the wind of the storm. It took us seven hours of riding time to do the 93km to Richmond (495 km). Arriving at 14:18 we were held there until an announcement at 15:30.

The announcement was to wait until 19:30.

The Control was rammed with riders and more arriving every minute.

It was about a rider who came up to me and said “Hello Colin, my name is Stephan from Germany. We’ve never met but I read your blog. I like your writing style”. Thank you Stephan.

19:30 The big announcement

It was about LEL 2025 itself. It was cancelled.

It was about safety. The organisers had quite rightly decided it was too dangerous to continue in the high winds. Riders further up the course had reported being blown off the road or even worse, into traffic. All riders had to spend the night in whatever control they were in until the storm passed, then follow the route back to London.

Forced to spend the night in Richmond there was only one thing to do …

Day 3, Richmond to Louth (Tuesday)

It was about Simon, a volunteer at the water station who’d taken two days with a tent to ride from Andover to Richmond just to volunteer. He would ride back again after the Control closed.

It was about riding the same 93 km course back to Malton but taking only four hours with the wind behind us, including stopping at TeaHee for the second time.

It was about taking the opportunity to thank Danial at Malton (585 km) for everything he and the amazing volunteers had done for us.

It was about the feeling of doom after we’d heard rumours they might close the Humber Bridge. At the Hessle Control (654 km) the check in volunteer told us they close the bridge when the wind gets to 60 mph. It was currently 50 mph so advised getting across to avoid the 70 km detour.

It was about the volunteer just before the Humber Bridge (656 km) saying, with typical British understatement “Take care. It might be a little windy”.

It was about Stephen who came alongside near Swallow (688 km) to say “Hello Colin, good to see you again”. We’d met on the penultimate stage of Paris-Brest-Paris in 2023 when he was struggling and I offered him my wheel to get him home. An experienced old git helping out a young man which I remember feeling very proud of at the time.

It was about listening to a rider at the Louth Control (713km) describing how he’d been blown off the road twice and feared for his life. Then realising, after he’d left, it was Ian McBride, a Kiwi, the only rider to get to Edinburgh before the cancellation. He would be the only rider out of more than 2,000 starters to complete the entire route.

It was about doing what Team Gino do before we sleep overnight. As the owner of two Greyhounds, it was the obvious choice of pub.

Day 4, Louth to Writtle (Wednesday)

It was about meeting Mirco at Crowland (813 km) from Cesinatico, not that far from our house in Italy

It was about the rider at the Boston Control (765 km) who innocently caused me to cry in public when he asked about Gino. Thank you for the consoling arm around my shoulder, whoever you were.

It was about bumping into Olaf at the Pondersbridge pop up café (835km). I’d met Olaf many years ago on an ICC ride. He explained to me the world of audaxing and Paris-Brest-Paris in particular. I’ve never looked back.

It was about Lorenzo’s aero modification as he was given a souvenir by LEL at the Northstowe Control (873 km).

It was about Rachel saving my bacon when she shouted out “CAR” when I started to drift across the road with fatigue.

It was about the fantastic last stage, 43km of flat or downhill to Writtle that felt like a victory lap as we’d completed all of the route that we were allowed to. I do hope they keep that section in for the 2029 edition of LEL.

It was about the wave of emotion that hits you when you cross the line.

It was about ICC member Nick driving out to collect us so I could get the last train home.

It was about my wife Jan, always supportive of my riding.

It was about the support from Spinal Research.

It was about my team mates who rode brilliantly, always taking their share of the wind at the front and looking out for eachother. Thank you Lorenzo, Mike, Rachel and David.

It was about the banter on the LEL Live Giro for Gino WhatsApp group we set up that kept us entertained and motivated throughout the ride.

It was about the volunteers who make LEL so special. One dictionary definition of the word phenomenal is “Extraordinary, remarkable, or highly unusual and impressive.” The LEL volunteers were indeed phenomenal. It’s like no other audax I’ve ever riddden. It’s an amazing community of people helping each other out. Just how the world should be.

It was about our supporters donating before, during (I shouted them out every time someone donated) and after the event. Thank you.

It was about the people, but above all…

It was about Gino.

If this story resonates with you then please donate at:

https://www.justgiving.com/page/lelgiroforgino

So far GIRO FOR GINO has raised

£5,739*

Bringing the total raised so far this year to

£16,070*

Thank you so much

*Last updated 22:24, 14th August 2025