The David Eales Memorial Ride is an award-winning 6-8 day group charity ride from London (or Dunkerque) to Amsterdam each August. The ride is long but leisurely, averaging 75 kilometres (about 50 miles) each day. The cycling conditions in Belgium and the Netherlands are level and pleasant, allowing riders to take in the scenery along the route.

Dates

The 2026 ride will run from 2 to 8 August, 2026, with an optional UK leg on 1-2 August.

August 2026
Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa	Su
					1	2
3	4	5	6	7	8	9
10	11	12	13	14	15	16
17	18	19	20	21	22	23
24	25	26	27	28	29	30
31

Join us!

The first step is to reserve a place by registering online:

Next Steps

Now that you’ve registered, here’s what you’ll need to know and what you’ll need to do to prepare:

Background Info

 The Route

 Lodgings

 Rules of the Road

Your Tasks

History

In 2016, six people rode to Amsterdam. One rode from Dunkerque, three had to take a train for part of the UK segment, and two made it all the way from London to Amsterdam under their own power.

In 2017, 13 people rode: six rode from London (though one had to turn back at Rotterdam), and seven joined in Dunkerque. We travelled in three squads of 4-5 riders, and had enough separate arrivals that we couldn’t all pose for one photo at the end!

In 2018, we had 18 participants, six of whom rode from London and twelve from Dunkerque.

In 2019 we had a single five-rider team, but you can see a large number of photos and videos in the linked album

Sadly, we could not run the ride in 2020 or 2021, but we came back strong for 2022!

Waiting for the Dover ferry in 2024. More in the gallery

The ride began as an advertisement in the LCC magazine. After a few meetings, LCC needed to hand over management tasks to the riders, and the initial participants had differing views on how to complete it. Eventually, Nick and Jon from ECC found themselves in charge of the whole event.

Nick reached out to fellow ECC volunteer David Eales. David ran the London Bike Hub to teach repair and maintenance, as well as organising cycle logistics with its fleet of cargo bikes. He helped advise on the best way to run the event, and was considering riding it on the electric “Bluebird” cargo bike he used in ECC’s mass rides.

David Eales riding backstop for the 2016 Ealing Cycling Campaign Feeder Ride to the London Freecycle. The large bag in the cargo bike carried tools and first aid equipment. This was the last day most of us saw him.

Sadly, David was taken from us quite suddenly that summer by the gruesome disease known as Stevens Johnson Syndrome. We never had the time to say good-bye. At David’s wake, we took on a new sixth rider and resolved to commemorate the ride to his memory.

The 2016 ride was a definite adventure, none of us really knowing what would come next at each turn. But as David had told us, it was never as difficult as we’d feared. Each rider had booked one hostel, and Nick brought along a laptop with GIS software to re-plan the route late into the night. We’ve tweaked and adjusted the directions every year, but always based roughly on that 2016 path.

2017-2018

Beginning in 2017, we formed a new tradition. Our morning departure from Dunkerque is the first place where we have everyone on the ride together in one spot. We take this moment to remember David, and to observe a minute of silence in his honour. We also celebrated his love of novel bikes, with two participants riding on recumbent tricycles.

2019

In 2019, Casey from HFCycling came on the ride, and he saw ways to improve the logistics and make it a much larger event.

2022-2025

We had to take a break in 2020 and 2021, as the global pandemic forced us to take care of our own health. But Casey worked his magic in 2022, and we were back bigger than ever!

In 2023 we had the Hounslow Cycle Sisters on board, and they were the absolute life of the party! We also had the honour in 2023 and 2024 of being able to ride David’s iconic Bluebird cargo bike.

2025 was another successful year, and we’re constantly improving the route, the lodgings, and the organisation of this event. If you can’t make this year, then keep an eye out for a link to book next year!