Words by Mike DeVaughan aka M9performance
Londonbikers.com and the Aviva Breakthrough for Breast Cancer Charity have just seen their second year working together on the annual Breakthrough for Aviva Breast Cancer charity walk through West and Central London. For the second year running, the members of LB did themselves and others proud by donating their weekend’s time this brilliant cause, the Aviva Breakthrough for Cancer charity walk. The 44 kilometres walk saw thousands of walkers’ trek from Richmond Park to Battersea Park, then onto Regents Park, via a very twisty route through West and East London. The event had been co-ordinated and professionally organised by Barro & M9Performance (forum members). The day had the full support of its members, with more members signing up than were needed. By 6am at Richmond Park, it was clear all would have a brilliant day.
Mike ‘M9Performance’ DeVaughan took some more of his precious time out to give you the low-down on what happened during the day...
Where do I start...? What a day? Or should I say few days? I suppose at the beginning would be a good place!
Ok, Saturday morning at 04.28 am, who the hell is phoning me at that time? Arrrrrr it’s Barro! “Time to get up,” your having a laugh aren’t you! Err no; he’s not, time to get my sorry self out a bed. Get myself ready and off to the Ace Cafe to meet the rest of the west London crew or at least all of the ones travelling form that side of town.
I go to my workshop and bring out the bike to check that everything’s all there, head? Red Bull? Body? Keys? Lighter? Fags? Yep... Err, Red Bull? Right, I’m all good to go. I set of for the Ace, which is just a short trip down the road and low and behold I‘m the last one there, and it’s only 5.50am, now that’s a first! George and Orla arrive, ahhh the chance of a coffee before we go, yes please! A free one would have be nice seeing as we had to get Mark Wilsmore’s (the owner of the Ace) bikes out of the building before we leave... No? Ok then, no biggie, Mmmm... Just the thought of coffee, a quick one before we leave for the start point at 6.00am.
The last rider arrives, Mr T Moto late again, so we all gratefully throw the teas and coffees down the collective throats and set off to be at Richmond Park’s Sheen Gate by 6.30am. On arriving, we all parked up and met with the rest of the group. Err, the gates are locked, oh well let’s get this party started then.
The walkers start to arrive in groups, some big groups and some on their own, what a sight. All shapes and sizes, it was very impressive, the party is definitely on. After about 15 minutes it was photo time, a big group shot including some of the walkers, who were genuinely glad to see the bright orange shirts. That’ll be a good start to the day then!
The gates eventually open, and Barro (The Governor) sent me off on a mission to find the riders that had been requested by Limelight for a briefing on the walk, that’s odd, I think... Why are we all not included in this? Oh well, whatever it is, it’s not gonna put a wrong-un on this day. Just as I got half way down the road, I’m met by the riders returning, no problems, thank God, I spin the bike round and head back to join the rest of the group.
It was then time to go in to the park, and Barro gets us organised into two’s. Myself and Steve were leading the walkers with the Medic’s bike which was ridden by TopGooner stuck in between us. We all rode along the park road and pull up just a little way off from the start ceremony.
Barro made his way back to us and we all moved from the park. As we pulled away, I could almost hear the cries of, what happened to my brecky, tea and coffee???? It would have been good but no, we got to go, we got to go!
So, off we all go again down to Richmond Gate and plot up and wait. The start is about to get on the way so two riders are needed back up at the first corner. Terry Moto, myself and Toby One Kenobi rode back to the start. We are not allowed too close to the start, so we are put on the first corner by the roundabout, so be it, someone is trying very hard to rain on my parade. Once positioned all we can hear is a very tinny sounding PA and mumbled speeches and the next moment the walkers are off. The first ones reach our position at an alarming rate.
I let the first few walkers pass and then I remember the crossing that’s half way along the path... Ooh crap! Off I go and pull up in the crossing to let the walkers know they have got to go straight on to Richmond Gate. I must admit, I was a little surprised that there was no marshal point there, or a sign, hey, a small over sight, but not a biggie. So, I climb up on the fence and give it my best Errol Flynn impression pointing to the gates singing as I do, looking back at the photos not good, but now I am in full on fun mode. Just as the radio barks into life... “What’s happening?” the voice says. I have to report back, “Walkers just passing me now, ETA five minutes” I reply. “Can the first group of marshals get on position?” It replies, luuvly jubbly, job done. (I like that ETA, a bit flight control or what!)
As the walkers pass me, I begin to realise what a tremendous feat these people are taking on for the first time and I get that warm mushy feeling over me. It didn’t last long as Terry comes over and reminds me about what we are supposed to be doing and, there are walkers all in the road. So off he rides back along the line to get them back on the path, during this time the ‘Right Honourable Tobi One’ has been very busy with the camera, I do hope that he has got my best side! I ask him to stay at the cross roads and direct people to the main gates and I jump on the bike and ride down to the gates. I Find a nice little traffic island and wait for the first ones to arrive.
No sooner thought and they arrive. What’s happening? A lot of them are crossing the road... Err toilets, ok, no biggie... We can deal with this I say with a confident smile and bouncing around so I become a mobile traffic block and ask myself, did no one think about toilets at the start? And to complicate things, I just lurrrrved having Mr and Mrs Sunday drivers try to reverse and park their jeep right up my rear! Nice, but hey, what can I do!!!
The park was now empty of walkers and the rest of the gang had gone on to position. It was then time for a quick word with the ‘Guvna’ and the marshals that are left, we mount up and ride off towards Richmond Bridge by the way of a short cut, well I think it was a short cut!
We get to the start of the bridge and the radio is going nuts with requests from all over the route. Things like, the road has been dug up, and we are gonna have problems at this point, and that point. Again, the team spring to life and no sooner it is said, it has been sorted with the team riding off to deal with the issues in hand. I am now thinking, where are the other marshals? To be fair it cannot be just us who are working the route, and why the hell is the route going through the Outer Hebrides! But hey, what can I do!
Off some of us go to the next location to have a look at another bit of dug up road when a call on the radio comes in from Charlie, he’d broken down. I ask the daft question, where the hell are you. I’m at the Pump House Lane, err... A few min’s later Ginger Pixie calls in saying that they have found him, off we go to have a look. All Charlie’s problems were caused by a retaining clip! This is something I still cannot get to grips with!! Right, the BMW GS, you know, the big ones can rip across deserts and the world, but ask it to bump up a 7.5 cm curb and ya have problems! By the time we got to him, Charlie had already fixed the bike and was ready to go.
With Charlie off to the next point, the ginger one and I stayed on the roundabout at Pump House. This was just short of the 16k mark and by now I am in full party mode. As the walkers arrive I start singing and dancing around, “I bet you won’t be like that all day!!!” was one of the comments from one of the passing walkers. Little did she know that the shop opposite has just opened and the place was full of Red Bull!
After around 30 minutes a bod from Limelight arrived, (yep the one on the XR) and I ask him where the Limelight marshals are, he talks about what we are doing and he makes a call on his mobile, then scribbles some bits on his little note pad, I ask him about maps for the next stage of the walk i.e. the part from Battersea Park to Regents Park. It was almost like I was not quite suppose to ask that question, after a few seconds he replies, “You do not need them as the bikes are not needed through the next section of the walk from Battersea Park, after the park you are only needed to marshal zone 6, from Regents Park.” I must have looked odd, well I mean odder than the norm and he gives an ‘I’m busy’ look. Just as he is about to ride off I tell him that we have all been with the walker’s from the start, so I can’t see us just giving up on them now! He started to mumble something just as more walkers arrived, so I just went back to doing what we were meant to be doing, and that was cheering on the walkers.
As the last of them pass we check in with the ‘Guv’ to see what needs to be done. All is covered up to Kings Road, so we made our way up to New Kings Road to see if there were any gaps that need manning. Most of the team that I’m with then ride up Kings Road and fill in where they’re needed. Ginger Pixie and I head towards the Putney end of New Kings Road. We were then greeted by some of the walkers, there was lots of horn blowing and waving, we then park up about 2 km from Putney Bridge and start to cheer the walkers on that are passing us. The look of excitement on their faces when they saw us again was just magic.
One of the walkers earlier on at the Pump House section had some Quavers, and she gave me one. She came strolling up to me and said, “I have got you something,” and produces a packet of Quavers. I except them gracefully and get that warm mushy feeling again, all of that walking and she remembers to get me Quavers, Awwww bless her, I think I went a little red! As walkers were coming past fast, we were getting request to have photos taken by some of them, I gladly accept. I cannot help but feel humble as cameras and phones spring into action, all this time I’m thinking it should be the other way round as they’re the stars of the day. We stopped the traffic to allow them to cross the road and bang!!! (Warm mushy feeling gone) A numty in a car hit Ginger Pixie, (I’m not going to go into it as that line is being followed up as I type). I radio it in and along comes Trojan with helpful advice. Nobody from Limelight did, as if I expected them to anyway!
We are now on route to Battersea Park and the thought of lunch is now on our minds. Along the way we make as much noise as possible, beeping and cheering all of the brave women. On getting into the park we all get parked up. I start to direct the walkers towards the lunch area thinking where the hell are Limelight marshals? Why is there nobody to welcome the walkers along the final stretch to the lunch area apart from half way down the main run to the band stand? Some of the walkers came in looking really emotionally and physically drained, we had to point them to the lunch area, congratulating them on getting this far. I eventually go and get my much needed lunch.
The lunch area or the band stand in the park started to look like a rest area for the ones that were too tired and would not make the rest of the walk. As I am walked around the area I was being congratulated by the women for helping them get this far. As I sit with some of them I listen to their stories, I feel very small in their presence of the sheer guts and determination. I tried encouraging them on best I could and I ended up just walking back to the bikes totally lost for words feeling. Anybody that knows me, knows that just ain’t normal...
It was now time for a quick troop talk, and the Guvvna hands it over to me. This is where I have got to say sorry to the team for basically shouting at them, (I was so wound up by the lack of organisation by Limelight that at that point my blood was boiling). We had been told we were not needed on the next part of the route and only needed in zone six and at Regents Park. Being the people that we are, we were not happy with this, we had been with them from the start and we will finish it together! It was decided that was the way it was going to be. After lunch the ladies exercised, after about 15 minutes we group up in lines of two and set off through the park to complete our mission.
On getting to the band stand, there are a few walkers waiting for transport and only a few of the marshals with purple shirts left. We receive a standing ovation from them as we ride past towards Chelsea Gate. When we arrived at the gates, we form up of all places on the roundabout. Now what a sight that must have been, 50 odd bikes going round the roundabout then off over Chelsea Bridge to find our walkers. When we found the first few we started to sound off all the horns and revving our engines, it must have sounded pretty special.
As we get to Lambeth Bridge we break up into teams, some go straight over the bridge, my team stop at the bridge to assist a walker needing transport. Another rider stayed with the foot marshal with a radio, AndyP69 and I go on to look for the transport. We managed to find one at Waterloo Bridge and after getting alongside him, he tells us that he’s full and on route to Regents Park.
We press on and rejoin the route. We had been giving bits of paper with encouragement to the passing walkers wandering around the streets of London, trying to give them whatever help we could to get them back on track. We got to the back end of Covent Garden and a van pulls up, it’s the same driver from before letting people off. We ask him to now go back for the poor walker at Lambeth Bridge; he says he’s got to go to Regents Park. I am still seeing red and I bark at him, “Well you must have a radio or a phone get a van to the bridge and pick up the walker!!!” He gets on the phone and we get a radio message a few minutes later the walker was collected.
We now needed to try and help the walkers; some were still wandering around looking for purple shirts, they needed to know where to go. Again, we help where we can. We try and join the route again, oh crap, one way! (The wrong way for us) No entry!! There were walkers all over the place and no marshals. We head off towards The Mall and start directing them down it. Some of the walkers ask where we been, they said that they had missed us. I start to explain what had gone on, just as the Bod on the XR arrives. I pull him over I start to tell him about the walkers going round in circles looking for marshals. I then go off on one telling him about the one-way streets and no-entries when Chris, AndyP69’s other half pulls me away just in time for Andy top step in and let him know what was going on... Ooops!!
We got back onto the bikes and headed off towards South Audely Street. On getting there we parked up outside the car park and started to cheer the walkers on. After another photo call I started to think that I was famous. Andy got back on his bike and rode off towards Regents Park.
After about an hour I got back on the bike and made my way off to the park to meet up with Andy and another rider, (sorry, I don’t know your name mate) and wait for the rest of the team to arrive.
The team arrive. What a sight, seeing all the bikes pull into the park, very, very impressive. Walking up to the finish line was a very humbling experience, the walkers that were already there with swollen feet, pain and emotion stood up and clapped our arrival.
As I started to walk towards the finish line, one family member of a group of four walkers asked me if it would it be ok if they had their picture taken with me, I reply, “Of course, how about we have it done at the finish line?” At this, one of the group begins to cry and I told her be strong, you have made it, you have done yourself proud!! (What I am really saying is, I am proud to have met you). We got to the finish line for the photo.
The closing event was now under-way and there were loads of pictures being taken and congratulations all around. We were told to group up for the finale. First the walkers were told to come forward to the stage area, we were then lead forward to only what I can call a standing ovation from the crowd. As I stand there I have the biggest lump in my throat and it takes me all I’ve got left not to get all emotional, I look around at some of the walkers and the team, it was already too much and tears were on.
As I listened to the speeches I just stood there. The sound of the people’s voices fade... I didn’t really hear them; I just looked at all the brave people thinking how proud I was to have been part of such a special day.
I snapped back to reality when one of the walkers called me over. (At the start of the day three batons meaning the spirit of the event and representing the people lost started the walk at Richmond Park they had been passed from walker to walker throughout the day now the original people had them back.) As I went over to the fence, I was handed one of the batons. This guy shook my hand, (I can’t remember the guys name) passing me the baton and thanking us for getting them through the day. Now, that was it, I was now broken. The lump in my throat was choking me and I just had to walk away.
Though all of the trials and mishaps throughout the day I am still really proud to have been a part of it. I would like to thank The Guvvna Barro, the rest of the team and all the walkers for allowing us to be part of thier day. I’m sure there are bits I’ve not mentioned and bits that I‘ve forgotten and for this I am sorry. WHAT A DAY!!!! I cannot wait till next year hope to see you all again then.
Everyone behind LB and Breakthrough would like to thank everyone who got involved for donating their time and energy into what was a very long and hard day, but ultimately very, very rewarding. We are once again made proud of what we have and can achieve as a community and very much look forward to supporting this charity walk next year.
Hip-hip-horray for everyone involved, especially the walkers who made the long, hard slog through town!!
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