Tommys Ride Raises Over £100k for Veterans
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Andrew Freedman writes…
United Studholme Alliance Lodge No1591 [USAL] is currently enjoying its sesquicentennial anniversary year and Royal British Veterans’ Enterprise is one of a number of extremely special causes that we decided to support in this extra special year. As well as supporting Masonic causes, USAL has a strong conviction for broader involvement in, and support of, the wider community. As an example we have, for over 30 years, been constant supporters of Trinity Hospice.
Although not a Military Lodge per se, USAL enjoys important ties to the Military through current and past members, perhaps most prominently reflected by Sir Winston Churchill’s membership of the Lodge.
RBVE is also home to The Tommy Club, of which General The Lord Dannatt is President and Harry Kane perhaps the most notable Ambassador.
The Tommy Ride is an annual event which involves cycling 150 miles over two days from Aylesford in Kent to Ypres in Belgium, in support of the UKs most vulnerable veterans. The route takes riders through the Kent countryside, across the Channel by boat to France and finishes at the Menin Gate Memorial in Ypres.
Funds raised go to support RBVE’s mission to empower veterans and people with disabilities by creating jobs, providing homes, and building communities across the UK. After participating again this year, I have now completed the ride twice.
This is how Tommy Ride 2026 unfolded.
Day 1, Friday 26 July 2026: Aylesford to Dover
It was a scorcher with temperatures averaging 32°C and peaking at 37°C. We registered at the RBVE Village in Aylesford at 6:30am and were away by 8am. A couple of miles in, the peloton was split into five groups for the ride. We enjoyed two refuelling stops en route to Dover, the first at Smarden and the second at Newchurch. Smarden came quickly as air temperatures climbed into the 30’s. After filling with water, we rode on to Newchurch where lunch was served. Just as well as, after riding through Folkestone, we hit Dover Hill. After 60 odd miles this was a real test with the gradient ramping up to 12%. At the top, the reward was a breather whilst taking in the Battle of Britain Memorial which was followed by a fast descent into Dover, finishing at Cullens Yard.
Next stop was the ferry port, where we breezed through passport control before a smooth crossing and the chance to refuel again. On the French side, a six-mile ride brought us to the hotel, for one or two libations and some well-earned sleep!
Day 2, Saturday 27 July 2026: Calais to Ypres
We woke to breakfast at 7am and black skies. Quite the contrast with the previous day’s heatwave. The forecast offered 44mm of rain between 9 and 10am. The torrential rain into which the groups left the hotel lasted an hour. Visibility was terrible, but at least it stayed warm, so riders dried off quickly once it eased. But at the 40-mile mark, the heavens opened again – and even worse than before. Chains – no, not Masonic ones – were now grinding; but we soldiered on. And at this point, a broken cable reduced my bike from its usual 18 gears to just two as my rear derailleur failed. So I was never happier than I was spotting the mobile mechanic’s workshop at the lunch stop some 30 miles later.
We actually had four stops during Saturday’s 84-mile ride including visits, with commentary from a historian, to The Blockhouse of Eperlecques, a V2 rocket launch site. We also visited Langemark Cemetery, a mass burial site for German and Allied troops, and the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial at Tyne Cot where the peloton regrouped before riding on to the Menin Gate.
After the ‘victory’ photos we headed to the hotel to freshen up before returning to the Menin Gate for the Last Post Ceremony. This was powerful, with more than a few of the ex-forces riders, along with us mere mortals, visibly emotional. Some of the peloton, by now resplendent in Military uniform, laid wreaths during the ceremony; which was followed by a celebration dinner and a night out in a lively town. A car rally in the high street, hospitality lorries, music, lights, lasers and, finally, on to a bar to watch an England FIFA World Cup tie.
We were picked up at 8:30am the following morning. The quiet coach ride back to Calais was the perfect opportunity to recharge some very fatigued bodies. We were told that if we got through passport control quickly, we might catch an earlier ferry. Everyone rushed through, only to realise two minutes down the road that we’d left someone behind. The frantic drive around that followed allowed us to spot the errant rider sprinting towards the ferry. Crisis averted. Irish Ferries got us back to Blighty in good time and we returned to RBVE Village to pick up the bikes – job done!
This article is part of Arena Magazine Issue 61 – Summer 2026.
Arena Magazine is the official online magazine of the London Freemasons – Metropolitan Grand Lodge and Metropolitan Grand Chapter of London.
Read more articles in Arena Issue 61 here.
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