About 20,000 motorcyclists have taken part in a 300-mile procession from London to Barrow-in-Furness to pay tribute to the late TV chef Dave Myers.
Myers, who was one half of the Hairy Bikers motorcycle-riding cooking duo along with Si King, was born and brought up in the Cumbrian town. He died of cancer on 28 February, aged 66.
Police praised the motorcyclists who attended the procession on Saturday – which was labelled “Dave Day” – for “the safe manner of their driving” and said no arrests were made.
“We estimate that approximately 20,000 motorcyclists attended, and I am pleased to say there were no major incidents on the road network,” said Supt Andy Wilkinson of Cumbria police, adding that motorists travelling on the A590 and M6 should be mindful of the increased volume of motorcyclists returning from the procession.
The event raised money for the Institute of Cancer Research in London and the NSPCC children’s charity, and was followed by a concert and a service of remembrance for Myers.
King thanked cheering crowds in Barrow at the end of the ride, saying they had made his friend “very proud” and hailing the procession as “absolutely remarkable”. “All of the over-bridges all the way from London up to Barrow-in-Furness, people [were] waving and showing kindness and courtesy – unbelievable,” he told the BBC.
The distance between the first and last biker to arrive in the procession was estimated to be about 16 miles, and onlookers described it as an “utterly extraordinary sight”. “It took about an hour and a half for the bikes to pass us from the first of the group to the last,” one eyewitness told BBC North East and Cumbria.
Many of the motorcyclists who travelled from north London in the morning were wearing flamboyant Hawaiian shirts to honour Myers’ colourful wardrobe. “Everybody’s got that lovely Dave sartorial elegance about them, ie the dodgy shirt,” said King.
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He described the day as a “celebration of Dave’s life”, while Myers’ widow, Lili, said “Dave Day” was helping her to grieve. “It just makes me feel that I’m not on my own with all this,” she said before the event.
She later gave an emotional speech to the crowds in Barrow: “Dave was always a Barrovian in his heart. He loved Barrow and he wanted to put Barrow on the map. And today, beyond his grave, he’s done it again.”