27th June

Miles for Scott - June

Gallery

Following the loss of our dear friend Scott, his funeral and wake happened on 31/10/25. Towards the end of the evening (and after a tipple or two) I mentioned to a few friends about the idea of a ride in his memory. Lots of hands went up saying 'yes', 'definitely', ‘I'm up for it’ and so the idea was born.

Fast forward to 6th Jan 2025 and I thought post Xmas celebrations was a good time to follow up and get an idea on actual numbers. Needless to say the enthusiasm had waned slightly 😂. That said by the end of January we had an outline plan to ride to Skegness and 10 committed riders. It was now time to think about logistics/training and contacting LOROS. Firstly to let them know we would be raising money for them and secondly to gain from their experience of previous Skegness rides  - so I met with Debbie on 20th Feb.

The motivation was simple - to complete our challenge and celebrate the life of Scott Alexander, to enjoy some team training rides, set up a WhatsApp group to keep all informed/have a giggle and if we could lose a few pounds and get fitter then that was a bonus.

As time went on it seemed fate was conspiring against us - firstly one of our riders was due major Achilles surgery and was unlikely to be recover in time - down to 9. Then another left his training too late and after 10 miles riding with us realised he would have to postpone - down to 8. Still not a bad number with about 6 weeks to go. But no we were to lose yet another rider again requiring Achilles surgery a week before our ride - down to 7. With three weeks to go another rider had some bad news from a biopsy and was told he should not ride a 100 miles  - down to 6. One more rider has a long standing commitment to a first half iron man the week after our ride so was agreed to do part of the ride - so down to 5 starters doing the full 96 miles. On a positive note one of the riders would join at 32 mile point, another at 64 mile point and one joining us for the last two miles as he recovered from surgery. This meant 8 of us would ride into the Skegness clock tower together and be met by around 25 family & friends and then enjoy a BBQ at The Hideout Cafe.

You would think our luck would have to change but the challenges kept coming….. our support driver who had been waiting many months for a hip replacement got a date for 3 days ahead of our ride. Good job I had chatted with Debbie and had back up plans - so up stepped our replacement support vehicle driver. Surely with a week to go nothing else could happen? Three days before we set off we lost access to the support vehicle previously promised so we had to quickly arrange a van hire. All set to go we just need the weather forecast to improve.

And it did (well mostly). We set off at 6.30am from Kirby Muxloe just as the drizzle subsided. For the next 3 hours or so the temperature rose and the roads dried, but as if to have a last laugh I think Scott thought we could do with a dose of rain, which accompanied us from mile 55 to 75. The weather then calmed allowing for celebration on our arrival. Oh and on the big plus side the South Westerly wind was perfect throughout the ride.

I am pleased to report a successful ride with all 8 riders completing their own goals, no mechanical/puncture issues and no need to use any of the medical supplies/trauma kit in the support vehicle. With two miles to go the final rider joined us and we all adorned our personalised LOROS T-Shirts/Vests annotated with rider names and a number of quotes reminding people of happy times with Scott which we reminisced over with a well-earned beer.

A heartfelt thank you to John from LOROS for his support and encouragement throughout the planning and lead-up to the ride. His guidance and belief in what we were doing made a real difference and managed to raise a fantastic £5,135!

And finally, on behalf of LOROS, thank you to every rider, donor, volunteer, and supporter. Your time, energy, and generosity help make a real impact for patients and families facing tough times. This ride wasn’t just about miles — it was about memories, meaning, and making a difference.

LOROS, Groby Road, Leicester LE3 9QE
Fundraising Regulator