Lili Myers said Dave Myers was "always a Barrow lad at heart" after visiting his childhood home last week, and the final Dave Day ride now carries that private memory into a public procession. Up to 40,000 motorbikes are heading from London to Barrow on Saturday for the third and last tribute ride for the 66-year-old, whose death from cancer in 2024 still defines the event.
The ride started at the Ace Cafe in London at 07:00 BST, with bikers aiming to reach Ulverston at about 14:30 before continuing to Barrow via the A590. The scale is the point: a convoy this large does not just arrive, it reshapes the day for anyone trying to move through the route or stand near the finish.
London, Oxford and Cumbria
The procession passes through London, Oxford, Solihull, Knutsford and Lancaster before turning into Cumbria and on to Barrow. Last year, more than £125,000 was raised for charity by the ride, and £134,000 was donated following the 2024 event, so the final run is arriving with a record of fundraising already attached to it.
Ulverston Town Council said there would be many places for spectators to watch along the A590, while Barrow BID warned that congestion would likely build around junction 36 of the M6. That means the practical pressure sits in two places at once: along the approach roads where the procession passes, and in the town centre where crowds are expected to gather around the finish.
Barrow BID and Market Street
Several roads have been closed in Barrow for Saturday, and Market Street car park is closed to all vehicles except the bikes taking part in the procession. Barrow BID told people to keep behind barriers and advised them not to high-five passing bikers, a reminder that the easiest way to watch this ride is also the safest way to let it pass.
Jason Woodcock said the problems of funding the ride and arranging it meant this year's event would be the last, and he said there would be no formal registration for this year's ride. He also said, "what happens in Barrow is nothing to do with us" and, "We are simply riding with some mates up to Barrow and if you choose to join us, that is completely up to your own volition."
Dave Day for Saturday
Woodcock said, "I want to make it the biggest and it will be the last big ride that we will be doing to remember our loved ones and remember Dave." That gives Saturday a clear finish line: a one-day surge into Barrow, not an open-ended festival, with the procession expected to arrive at about 15:30.
