Riding for women’s safety in cycling: the highs and lows of LEL 2025

By Cycling UK
Monday, 08 September 2025
A woman standing on what looks like a balcony in an office building in a city with lots of office blocks behind her. She is wearing cycling kite and holding a black road bike and white Specialized cycling helmet.
Cycling UK trustee Nadia Kerr tackled London-Edinburgh-London 2025
London-Edinburgh-London is an epic round-trip cycle ride between these two capital cities. In 2025, Cycling UK trustee Nadia Kerr set out to complete it to raise money for ‘My ride. Our right’. Find out how she got on

This summer, I signed up for one of the toughest long-distance cycling events in the UK: London-Edinburgh-London, affectionately known as LEL. The challenge? Ride 1,500km in just over five days.

But I wasn’t riding just for myself. I was raising money for Cycling UK’s ‘My ride. Our right’ campaign, which champions women’s safety and equality in cycling. As a woman on the road, I know the barriers that many of us face, from harassment to lack of safe infrastructure and I wanted my ride to be part of the push for change.

The road to Richmond

Months of training led me to the start line in Writtle, Essex. The first two days went well. I rode hard, ate well (four puddings on day one!), and pushed north through wind and rain. By the time I reached Richmond in North Yorkshire, I had 470km in my legs and was still ahead of schedule.

Then Storm Floris struck. High winds made it unsafe to send riders into the Pennines, and by Monday evening the organisers had no choice: London-Edinburgh-London 2025 was cancelled.

A thousand riders at Richmond groaned in unison. Months of preparation, thousands of pounds raised for charity, dreams of Edinburgh – all stopped in our tracks.

A woman is standing next to a metal fence with one hand on the top. She is wearing a bright, stripy cycling jersey and black cycling shorts. She has on a cycling helmet and gloves and has sunglasses tucked in her jersey. In the background is a mountain road with two cyclists on it. She's smiling at the camera

Turning setback into strength

The disappointment was huge. But cycling, like life, doesn’t always go to plan. Together with two other riders, I turned the ride home into something different: a journey filled with conversation, laughter and new friendships. Without the stopwatch ticking, I rediscovered the joy of riding simply for the sake of it.

In the end, I rode 940km. Not the full distance, but still a challenge to be proud of. And more importantly, I carried the message of ‘My ride. Our right’ with me: that women should feel safe, supported and visible whenever and wherever they ride.

Why this matters

This experience reminded me why campaigns like ‘My ride. Our right’ are so vital. For many women, the barriers to cycling aren’t just about weather distance or endurance. They’re about whether you feel safe on the road, whether your voice is heard, and whether cycling culture is truly inclusive.

My journey may have been cut short, but the campaign continues and that’s what really matters.

So will I be back for London-Edinburgh-London 2029? Maybe. But I know for certain I’ll keep supporting women’s cycling, every mile I ride.

My ride. Our right Women's cycling Audax Trustee Charity rides Endurance cycling

Help support more women to cycle

We know that fewer women than men cycle and that women are more likely to be put off by a fear of heavy traffic and busy roads. That’s why we’re campaigning for cycle routes that are safe and welcoming. When we make cycling safer for women, we make it safer for everyone.

You can help support our work making cycling safer for all by making a small donation – any amount counts!

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