20-Milers: 20 Years

The very first 20-Milers bike ride took place on 11 September 2004 - twenty years ago today. So let's look back over some of the highlights of the last two decades.

By Mike Lewis

A grand total of three riders turned up for our first ride: Chris Pearson, myself and one other. It was a dreary day. We got as far as Musselburgh, but by then the rain had set in, so we took refuge in the Brunton Theatre café. By the time we had finished our coffee, the rain had got worse so we abandoned the ride and went home.

After that, things rapidly improved.

2005. By now we are attracting more riders – well into double figures for most of our runs. Darren Mirfield comes up with the name "20-Milers".

2008. We are now on a more organised basis, with a dedicated email address (how did we manage without it?), a blog and a Facebook page (all this is thanks to Livia Marchant). In May, we see a record turnout of 27 riders.


2009. Several members of our group take part in Pedal for Scotland, an annual charity ride from Glasgow to Edinburgh which at its height attracted over a thousand cyclists.

2010. In July, we have the first of our Extra rides. These longer runs quickly become an established part of our programme.

2011. Our first half-day Christmas ride, now very much an annual tradition. Seven riders turn up on that first Christmas morning; the turnout increases rapidly in subsequent years.

2012. To mark the summer solstice in June, we have our first evening ride. This too becomes an annual event for a while. Our August ride attracts a record turnout of 34 cyclists.

2013. That record is broken in June, when 38 riders turn up for a ride to Dalkeith Country Park. Such large numbers are welcome but not easy to manage, so we decide that from now on at least two potential leaders should recce every route. That way, we can split the ride into two groups when necessary. This happens several times over the next few years.

2014. Our busiest year ever. In May, around 30 of us cycle to Blackness as part of a national event to celebrate the opening of the John Muir Way. In June, twelve of us take part in the annual Lepra charity ride to St. Andrews. July sees our first weekend away: a circuit of the Forth, with an overnight stop in Stirling. And on 20 September, the highlight of the year: a ride and lunch to celebrate our tenth anniversary. As part of that celebration, we launch our distinctive red T-shirts and sweatshirts (organised by Ken Roxburgh, with a logo designed by Glenn Brearley).

2015 to 2020. Many more Extras, weekends away, summer solstice rides and Christmas morning rides.

April 2020 to August 2021. Covid-19. Along with all other local cycling groups, we are off the road for the sixteen months of lockdown.

2021 to present. In August 2021, we resume our full programme of rides following the lifting of lockdown. And in September 2024, another milestone: a ride and lunch to celebrate our twentieth anniversary.

During the twenty years since our first ride, I reckon we have organised more than 300 rides of one sort or another. I can't begin to estimate how many cyclists have taken part, but it is clearly a very large number. Many friendships have been formed within the group, including at least two marriages. Some of our members regularly get together for cycling weekends or longer holidays, and we've enjoyed many social events over the years.

Many people have contributed to the success of our group in many different ways: planning and leading rides, backmarking, taking photographs and writing reports for our blog, providing mechanical support, and much more. If, thanks to their efforts,  we have introduced just a few people to the pleasures of cycling and encouraged them into a more active lifestyle, it will all have been worthwhile.

Do you have any special memories of riding with our group? Feel free to post a comment (below) to share them with the world.