The Ride of Respect Ring of Red will be taking place again this year, Memorial Sunday 12th November, aiming to create the world's largest poppies by encircling the M25 and M60 motorways with bikers all wearing red. Last year I was lead rep at Birchanger Green M11 Services for the M25 Ring of Red. This year we've struggled to find a lead rep for M1 Toddington, so I've volunteered there, and will be looking to hand over Birchanger to a trusty lieutenant. If you can get to one of the motorway service station meeting points for the M25 (Toddington, Fleet, Reading, Beaconsfield, South Mimms, Birchanger, Thurrock, Clackett Lane, Cobham), then put it in your diary. Or look out the M60 RoR round Manchester.
Nice one Rich! I've done this a couple of times but never achieved the ring of red, it's great to see the support of people on the bridges etc over the m25, hopefully this year we'll get it! What people have to realise is that it's not just about a grand ride out but doing something to mark the sacrifice of many.
T To be honest mate, as I've tried to get over to the main organisers, the ring is a pipe dream. At 4 car lengths between each bike, and with perfect co-ordination getting all the meeting points on to the M25 at the same time, you'd need just short of 10,000 bikes, and 15,000 if 4 bike lengths apart. Ain't gonna happen. So I encourage my group to ride in close formation so it looks well impressive to car drivers and folks on the bridges, rather than being strung out hoping beyond hope to make the nine link-ups work.
Would have loved to have done this on the M60 this year but on the 12th Nov I'll be wearing my poppy in Munich. Not sure how well that's going to go down. Two years ago while in Hamburg I was mistakenly accepted as being a member of the English Defence League by a German "security" man. That seemed to go down quite well.