Riders dug out their armour for a second round of modern-day Lime e-bike jousting in London on Halloween, drawing scores of spectators in medieval attire to London Fields, east London, to watch the electric-boosted bikes go head-to-head.
Saturday's event was a re-match between artist Jack Carden and actor Camtholomew, whose earlier duel on rented Lime bikes had sparked a social media frenzy earlier this month.
Lime's warning and organisers' hopes
After the first duel, Lime released a statement saying "while we appreciate the medieval spirit, safety must always come first," adding that its bikes were "not for jousting." The company discouraged riders from "attempting similar events" using its bright green bikes. Organisers at the second event said they hoped the bouts would encourage more people to put on such spectacles that hark back to the days of knights and public competitions.
Sonny, a steward, told The Standard: "It kind of exploded just overnight. One minute nobody was really interested, the next minute everybody wanted a piece of it. I think London's really needed something like this for a very long time, and nobody's ever had the funds or the courage to do it by themselves. So for these guys to come out and do it, everybody clearly wants to see it. Everybody loves it."
Escapism and legitimacy
The 20-year-old added: "The message is, 'Get involved in any way you can', whether starting your own group or joining up with a different group. I hope it inspires people to be more creative and do stuff, and get experimenting with stuff that they maybe haven't tried before. I've only been doing this a year. I saw it and I decided I wanted to give this a go."
Asked whether e-bike sparring should be classed as a valid form of jousting, Sonny replied: "The crowd speaks for itself. E-bike jousting is now just as valid as normal horseback jousting. I love that." His comments reiterated what a professional jouster said about the e-bike phenomenon this week.
Andy Deane, captain of the Royal Armouries jousting team in Leeds, said it was a "joy" to see the bike jousting "capturing the spectacle" of the medieval sport, calling it "absolutely a legitimate form of jousting" for those who could not afford a horse.
Supporters on Saturday said the gathering was a form of escape from 21st century life. Kieran, a 27-year-old, told The Standard: "I think people are really seeking that kind of escapism. I think it's really nice to have an event like this. It is not too often you get to see knights running at each other in the middle of a field in London. E-bikes are definitely a valid form of jousting. It is certainly a modern rendition. Jousting has always been for entertainment of the lords and the people, so I think they're doing it perfectly."
Bella, 23, said she and fellow steward Kieran were already fans of medieval revival. "We do fully-armoured medieval fighting," she said. "Kieran is in his full fighting armour today. I'm just in fashion armour. We do that as a sport, and it's really good fun. It is full contact. There's no staged fighting or anything. Any excuse to wear some armour [and] we're happy. There aren't too many opportunities to put armour on in London."
