Operation Etape du Tour: January update

In my third month of preparing for the Etape du Tour, January was a bit of a challenge as I had a wobble in my commitment to the cause and I ended up playing catch-up to get in the miles - in the dark, damp weather

My ride around South London took me out past Hampton Court Palace

I am beginning to step up my training for this year's Etape du Tour. It still seems a long way off though, and in these dreary winter days it's hard to imagine riding in brilliant sunshine over lovely dry roads through the countryside or National Parks in the UK or beyond. A lot of my riding has been done in darkness or semi-darkness, on damp suburban streets of London, and only venturing into the countryside on the odd ride.

As much as I would rather ride outdoors than in the rarefied virtual world of a smart turbotrainer, riding outdoors still has its challenges and frustrations to deal with. 

So this is how I've been doing my riding in January. Firstly, I ride alone. I find it hard to join in with club runs because my daily schedule is a movable feast. I like to have flexibility in when and how I do things, as well as where I go. 

My cycling club has a system of signing up for a ride via RiderHQ, a platform for signing up to sports events. As it's a big club the rides can sometimes get fully booked as they want to limit the size of groups on a road. That's understandable. So that means for me, that if I sign up for a ride I should commit to going, or go online to remove my name, and thus free up the space for another club member - which I must admit is a palava. The thing is, I just like things old skool - wake up in the morning, see if the sun's shining. Go if it's a nice day, or do something else if the day looks dodgy.

As someone who is generally motivated and a self-starter, I don't need the pull of a group or someone else to get me out on a ride. I've taken myself out on rides since I was in my late teens, so at the age of 54 I'm unlikely to stop doing that now!

As someone who is a bit of a map geek I know the roads around my local area, so am capable of planning myself a route, and maybe discovering new ones too. So I don't need to have a group leader showing me which way to go.

So ultimately, I am happy enough to decide when and where I go on a ride. The whole concept of signing up onto RiderHQ and committing to turn up at the bike shop meet-up point at a given moment on a Sunday morning come rain or shine has all the charm of wearing a straight jacket. My working week is full of appointments and deadlines, so the weekends need to be more chilled and laid back.

So with all that, I do my own rides on my own, deciding the day before, on the day itself, or even during the ride on where to go, and I am happy enough to say hello to other riders that I see along the way. For me, it's freedom and it's bliss!

Spotting other Sunday morning riders at Kingston Bridge

Secondly, I do my rides at slightly unsocial times. As a person who has a tendency to take on various activities, I need to optimise on the hours of the day. I prefer to do sporty things first thing in the morning - like as soon as I wake up. It's the purest time of the day. No one to disturb you, and I feel at my most motivated and energised. So for me, that means 5am - sometimes even before that. So that's when I've taken to going out. 

The London streets are great. There's hardly any traffic - just Uber drivers, a few black cabs, the odd night bus. When cycling through Central London at that time the traffic lights are generally with me, so I hardly have to stop - which is handy for someone who is not a red-light jumper.

You get to see a bit of London life too - the fox community, clubbers tipping out at Vauxhall or Brixton, lovers tiffs, all the action at the 24hour grocers or the kebab shops. During the week, I say hello to the dustmen and I can learn the different days when the different London boroughs do their refuse collections!

In the early mornings  I prefer to ride through London rather than in the country lanes which are unlit and for which I don't have suitable lights. For me, the Royal Parks serve as a great place to do laps - be it the cycle path around Hyde Park, the loop of Regents Park, or the very Royal loop around St James's Park, taking in The Mall, Birdcage Walk, and Horse Guards Road. 

So, even if I did think about doing a club run it'd have to be one that does this sort of itinerary at this time of the day. I am not aware of any cycle clubs that do that.

So that has been my riding I've been doing in January, with a few rides out to another Royal Park, Richmond Park, when I break a habit and decide to ride during daylight hours.

My routine consists of doing a hilly ride on the local hills around Crystal Palace, a fast ride through Regents Park, and then medium paced rides around Cator Park, Crystal Palace, Park or Dulwich Park, plus rides around the Bromley and Beckenham suburbs. The aim was to get in 600km for this month.

The only issue was I did suffer a little wobble in early January and I came very close to deciding not to ride the Etape du Tour and just giving myself a quiet life, tootling around doing leisure rides. Sometimes getting motivated to ride frequently when the weather is rubbish and you get punctures can be demoralising and sucks the joy out of bike riding. As mentioned before, I am not cut out for indoor cycling. But in the end, the fire in my belly wouldn't let me give up on targeting this epic ride through the Alpes-Maritimes, so I got my act together.

Roehampton Gate Cafe at Richmond Park

Once I regained my resolve, that left me with around 300km to ride within around five days. For some, that may not seem an unreasonable distance to cover if your days are free from other activities like going to work and getting on with the every day chores of life. But with full-on days at the advertising agency I was working at it was quite a tall order.

But by putting in place a strict plan of starting rides even earlier than 5am, and fitting in rides at lunchtime and in the evenings, I somehow managed it. There were a few rides done when it was pretty gusty as January seemed to have one gale-force wind storm after another, and there were a few drizzly days too. But my determination got me through. 

I was happy to have gotten in a 100km ride as well, when I did a big suburban ride around South-West London, going past Hampton Court and out to Walton-on-Thames, and then heading into South-East London into Greenwich and Lewisham. It was one of the few days where there was wall to wall sunshine, the day was dry and there was no wind or rain. Lots of cyclists were out too, and there was a genuine feelgood factor, especially at Richmond Park, as always.

My South London ride took me to the South-East corner of London to Greenwich

Achieving the 600km has emboldened me to know I am capable of dedicating myself to quality training rides, and hopefully I will be able to build on that over the coming months.

Related posts

The sound tha sucks the joy out of cycling - the puncture fairy

Etape du Tour comes to Nice and I'm riding it (hopefully)!

Another cycling mission for 2024 - Fred Whitton Challenge 

Box Hill Zig Zag is my best fitness test

As a London-based cyclist, Box Hill features firmly among my list of places to go for a bike ride. 

It's not actually that local to me, given that the quickest route there can take almost two hours and there are various other country lanes and hills I could ride on nearer to my home. But the ride out to this famous hill, crested multiple times during the London 2012 Olympics is worthwhile.

Box Hill is significant in my cycling life and is such a massive magnet for cyclists from across the London area that it would be sacrilege to not include it on the list. 

I really like this climb, as does everyone else I know. There is something about that turning off Old London Road near Rykas Café onto the Zigzag that gives me that same feeling you get when you finally see a familiar face among a crowd of strangers - the old faithful friend.

Set within chalky terrain in the heart of the Surrey Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, Box Hill towers above the suburban town of Dorking and has a vast country parkland and woodland area where people can admire the views of the landscape below, as they walk or cycling on the trails, or while enjoying a picnic. This is a hotbed of activity on any sunny day, particularly at the weekends.  

In general, when I ride in this area, Box Hill is my final official climb before I head homewards. It's the sweetspot after my previous efforts on the more demanding hills in the area - or maybe the yoga equivalent of shavasana, after tackling the more challenging balancing and twisting poses. 

It is while rolling along this stretch of road on the side of the chalk escarpment, lined with ancient woodland that I can gauge where my fitness is. How my legs feel when climbing Box Hill gives me an idea of whether I am feeling on form or not, or whether I have overdone things during the ride, notably on the earlier Surrey hills that day. It's like an analogue live version of Myfitnesspal.

The friend may be initially slightly demanding at first, as I begin to tackle the opening turns in the road and I feel my legs having to work slightly more than when they were previously coasting along the Dorking by-pass cycle path. But once the Zig Zag car park comes into view I know that I will soon have ticked off the first hairpin, and the gradient will ease off. 

It is usually during this early phase of the climb that many cyclists overtake me as they tackle the hill with enthusiasm and gusto, while I tend to spin an easy gear, gently easing myself into the climb to establish a comfortable rhythm for my legs as well as my lungs. 

Box Hill profile from Old London Road to Box Hill village

Box Hill gradient map

Today, as I rode along I noted that it took me more time to find that comfortable rhythm. My legs felt heavy and my breathing was more laboured than usual. 

On the first bend I spotted the unusual sight of a makeshift cardboard signboard. You wouldn't normally see something so rough and ready-looking in this elegant location. I wondered if it was a political slogan, as people have taken to doing of late, or maybe a sign of encouragement drawn by a child for their middle-aged parent in Lycra. 

As I reached the sign, I noticed two young men, one of them lean and mean, perched against his bike. His more stocky accomplice was holding the cardboard bearing a scruffy inscription in block capitals, "Race me up Box Hill and win £50"! That made me smile. "Maybe not today", I said, while sauntering past. Another rider overtook me at the same time and also laughed. I must admit, if I had been on form I would definitely have taken on the challenge. Winning £50 will pay for a couple of scones at the tea shop at the end of the climb! 

Sadly, by this hairpin, in which the gradient was beginning to ease off, my legs still felt too tired to make the most of the respite as my legs just ground along without finding any increase on my crawling pace. 

Normally I get a second wind along this stretch, but it became apparent that the dial in my energy tank was in the red. My earlier efforts taking the uphill route from Epsom through the Ashtead and Headley, the Ranmore Common climb, as well as Coldharbour were taking their toll on me. I had to accept that I am not as fit as I could be. 

At that point I rolled along and gave myself permission to stop and rest or even walk at the next hairpin, by the Pinehurst care home - maybe someone would take pity on me and offer me some sustenance!

Somehow, on reaching the hairpin a voice inside told me to carry on pedalling, even if my quads hurt. It didn't feel quite right to stop, and I feared that I wouldn't be able to get going again, so I just continued on through towards Donkey Green, passing the Box and Juniper trees with their autumn ochre leaves set against the bright sunshine on this unseasonably warm day.

The final long stretch where the landscape opened out was just a case of hanging on and surviving all the way to the National Trust car park. I focused on maintaining a regular, albeit laboured breathing pattern and believing that I wasn't far from the finish line. I wasn't. The Box Hill climb is around 1.4 miles (2.4 km) up to the National Trust Cafe, with a 120m height gain. 

At this point I only had half a mile (800m) left to pedal, though it felt interminable. Many riders passed me. On seeing me straining along, some greeted me or offered words of encouragement - "Keep going.." "Nearly there..." On the final turn at the car park my grimace began to soften into a smile.

Finally I reached the main refreshment and picnic area, where I rolled straight down to the bike rack. As I dismounted from my bike my leg almost cramped up, though I managed to shake it off as I quickly racked my bike and sank into the adjacent bench.

For around five minutes, everything zoned out in front of me, as I regained normal breathing and recuperated before summoning the energy to queue up for a coffee, sausage roll and almond flapjack - after eating a starter of my packed ham sandwich and banana. There was ice cream on sale too, but I didn't quite have the energy to join that significantly longer queue.

That had been my slowest ride ever up Box Hill. I had basically ridden up the hill on fumes. In the jargon, I had bonked, hit the wall, got the hunger knock. Call it what you will, I had run out of energy. On reflection, that made sense because I hadn't had an evening meal the previous day, and my breakfast was only very light - not great preparation for an 80km bike ride. Schoolboy error!

Once fed and watered, I was able to tackle the rest of the ride home, my energy levels replenished and feeling motivated.

Box Hill is one of my favourite climbs. I can't say how many times I've ridden it in my life - it must be into the hundreds. I know it like the back of my hand, so it makes for a perfect barometer of my fitness and form. It's fair to say my battery was flat. The beauty of the Hill though, is that there are some delicious ways to recharge your legs - once you reach the top.

One day one photo - 29: Brompton Bicycle photoshoot

It was a different kind of working day today, as I spent it outdoors away from my desk, being photographed around London.

Along with a couple of other cyclist models - Monet and Theo - we posed for a photoshoot with Brompton Bicycle. This was a shoot done for the marketing department to increase their library of media assets (still photos and video footage). So the team had us riding different bikes from the Brompton range in different parts of London. 

I had done a shoot with Brompton Bicycle on a previous occasion a couple of years ago, though that was a short shoot. We spent the morning being photographed near Liverpool Street station, and then near Blackfriars.

Today's shoot was an all-day thing in which we started first thing in the morning and continued through to the end of the working day.

We met at the National Theatre, on London's South Bank, and spent the morning being photographed around a variety of nooks and crannies in this famous example of Brutalist architecture. Prince Charles (now King Charles) described it as a "nuclear power station". He might be right; the location lent itself to shooting glowing examples of pedal power, as we three models were photographed riding in formation over around different alleyways and concrete structures.

Christine, the art director had different combinations of outfits ready for us to wear, and gave us different colours of bike to ride on as well as riding an Brompton e-bike.

With the team, which included the photographer, film-maker, video director, plus Rupert the producer, and Ross the brand manager, we cycled to our next venue, Southwark Park. After lunch we did various shots within this green space in South-East London (which has hints of Victoria Park across the river). Finally, we crossed back over the River via Tower Bridge to do a final shoot in a specially reserved cafe close to 30 St Mary Axe (aka The Gherkin).

I enjoyed the day out, especially as it was a lovely sunny day in London. Being photographed while riding or posing with a bicycle is something that I have done quite a lot of in my time, especially as I did so regularly in the days when I wrote for Cycling Active magazine and would be photographed for the cycling routes that I rode about.

However, the thing I found hardest was being photographed folding and unfolding the bike while being photographed. When you do this in a run of the mill way over the course of the day I can do it quite easily. But then when being filmed/watched, suddenly my actions aren't that smooth, and there is always something that gets stuck or stilted!

Hopefully the team will be able to pick some decent shots and footage, and I look forward to seeing the results.  

One day one photo - 16: Swim Serpentine - it went swimmingly in the end!

All smiles after Swim Serpentine in Hyde Park

I finally got to swim in the Serpentine - and it was lovely.

It had been touch and go as to whether Swim Serpentine would take place. Just three days before the event, we still didn't have a definitive answer, much to the annoyance of those participants travelling to London specially for the event from other parts of the country. Then on Thursday, the organisers announced that tests had shown it was safe to swim in the water and the event would go ahead.

A number of people, myself included, did not feel comfortable about taking part and opted to request a refund.  

But in the end, when Saturday morning came, and I saw a sunny day plus more positive water quality test results I changed my mind. With that, I jumped on my bicycle and zoomed over to Hyde Park. 

Fortunately the organisers were able to give me a new number and I did the one-mile swim in the Serpentine that morning. 

The water was a balmy 21 degrees C and it was nice and clear. I just made sure to not let any of it get in my mouth! (You can never be sure.) In my wave there must have been around 300 people, which made it a slight challenge sighting as I had to swim round other people. turnaround points ay the buoys got a bit crowded as everyone wanted to take the same (shortest) line! I just stayed relaxed and swam round slightly slower to allow for any sudden changes in direction I might have had to make. 

In the end I did 44 minutes. I was happy with that time - it's quicker than I've done in a while, and throughout the swim I felt like I was within myself and wasn't exerting myself. The fact that I used a pull buoy and had my cross on too, will have helped me keep an optimal position and go quicker.

After my swim I couldn't resist putting on my trainers and doing a little run around the lake before cycling home. It had been a fun-packed day out, even if the start had looked decidedly dubious. 

Freewheeling - Keeping away from cycling activists

As someone who is into cycling I have found that my love for the activity has slightly waned of late. It's not that I have gone off cycling. It's more to do with all that swirls around it. 

I have always had a fairly simple relationship with bike riding. I get on my bike, I ride. Sometimes it is for a leisure pootle, sometimes for training, or for racing. Other times it's just to get from A to B. I could be riding in London streets, on country roads, or along off-road trails. 

Normally, whichever sort of bike riding I do, I always enjoy it and find it a pleasant space away from the more humdrum activities of everyday life.

However, in recent times I have noticed that cycling has come very ...politicised. Whether it's folks going on about the safety/lack of safety on Britain's roads, sexism, racism, all other sorts of -isms, sustainability, clothing sizes for women, colours, sponsors of cycle races and teams, even bike brands. Whatever is happening in cycling it just seems to attract some sort of shouty reaction from certain quarters, all aired on Twitter - of course. It's all a bit much for me. 

I just want to ride my bike and not give it too much thought. Apparently, even that puts you at loggerheads with folks. Folks have been known to throw at me the accusatory phrase - "If you don't see a problem then you are part of the problem." I am supposedly meant to feel guilty about this.

Let me elaborate on a couple of things:

Race and cycling

Last year, I was asked by a cycling magazine to write an advertorial for a clothing brand. This would have involved interviewing two black women - one of whom has a large following on social media - and who has been vocal on racial matters in cycling. She set up a group known for women of colour who cycle. I don't particularly agree with such groups forming based purely on race. It is a view I am entitled to, though as a professional journalist my personal views do not influence the way I work. However, I was later informed by the editor of the cycling magazine that I was being removed from the job because the two black women asked not to be interviewed by me. Apparently they didn't approve of my views. 

The advertorial was going to be related to training to cycle 100km - nothing to do with a person's race, but yet I was removed from the job! So suddenly I became the subject of "cancel culture". Ironically, these are the same women who campaign saying "representation matters" and want visibility of black people in various roles, including journalism! Absolute hypocrisy. I must also add that in the 12 years I have been involved in journalism this is the only time an interviewee has asked to not be interviewed by me.

I first became involved in club cycling in 2000. At that time there were hardly any black people who took part in club cycling. There were a few; just not many. Nevertheless I found the cycling community to be very welcoming. Sure it was dominated by white males - maybe even middle-aged, middle class males. I didn't ask them their ages or their class, and even if I could have taken an educated guess, I couldn't really have cared one way or another. I was just interested in being in a friendly environment, and that's how I found the cycling milieu to be. 

Fast forward twenty years and everyone is talking about cycling being racist and that the lack of black people involved in cycling is because we were being excluded. No one ever stopped me from riding a bicycle or taking part in events. 

I am not saying that I don't believe other people who say that they had a negative experience, but I think it's important to realise that people have different experiences in the same situation. When I say that I have had a positive experience I don't see why folks should look at me negatively. It's almost as though I have committed some sort of sacrilege because I am not going out and mouthing off about breaking down barriers. 

In my time I have known many black people (including members of my own family) who are just not interested in cycling, and who even wonder why I do it! That's been my experience, and for me to believe that the lack of black people cycling was down to personal preference rather than racial bias was not an unreasonable conclusion to draw. Because of that, some see me as a pariah for not joining them in their crusade. One black guy who has made his name by hosting an exhibition about Black Cycling Champions and claiming that cycling is a racist sport even blocked me from his Twitter account!

It is interesting how some of these people campaign for inclusivity, but yet their behaviour, by its very nature, is to exclude those who don't share their opinions.  

Militant Cyclists 

I have ridden bicycles around since the 1970s. My time as a commuter cyclist in London began in 2001. Back then, there were make-shift cycle lanes - mainly a line painted along the edge of the road but you weren't separated from traffic at all. I remember the first time I cycled from my home in Crystal Palace all the way to my office at the time, which was in Marylebone, I rode ever so cautiously and was quite nervous. But in fact, it wasn't bad at all. I quite enjoyed the experience and I was happy to continue riding my bike through the London. I have commuted by bicycle ever since. 

Nowadays we have the luxury of segregated cycle superhighways and special cyclist traffic lights to get you across busy junctions. I think these are great additions and have been instrumental in encouraging more people to cycle in London. I think that London is now an even better place to cycle, and its facilities are now comparable to (if not better than) some other major cities around the world. I can confidently say this as I always make sure to ride a bicycle (either my own or a hire bike) whenever I travel abroad. So I have ridden bicycles in cities around Europe, North America, South America, and the Caribbean, in my time.

The thing is, whenever I look at Twitter I see angry messages from various people about how terrible it is to cycle around London. I just don't share that experience with others. Sadly, if you respond on this platform saying that you have had an enjoyable experience people lambast you saying you don't know what you're talking about and asking you to produce statistics.

Campaigning organisations also want to suggest that every other city in Europe has better cycling infrastructure than London. I would take them seriously if the protagonists actually regularly commuted in those countries. Many of them have never cycled abroad - or at least when they cycled abroad it was in a holiday resort within that country as opposed to a city where people get on with daily life. These are not even like for like comparisons, so folks then draw their conclusions based on photographs of cycle lanes in these cities! 

A recently constructed segregated cycle lane in central Paris, running along rue Saint Antoine from Bastille to Chatelet, and on to Rivoli and Concorde has received much praise on social media. Granted it is a very useful cycle lane. But is this segregated lane better than an equivalent one in London? And does it mean that every cycle lane in Paris is in the same style as the one on Rivoli? 

I get astounded by how people take this cycle lane and extrapolate saying the whole of Paris has cycle lanes like this, and life as a cyclist in Paris is much better than in London! Have these people never ridden the Cycle Superhighway from Elephant and Castle to Clerkenwell? Or the path from Tower Bridge through Westminster all the way to the Royal Albert Hall? What is the difference? In fact I would argue that the London segregated paths are better than those in Paris because they are completely closed to motorised traffic. Cycle lanes in Paris still allow space for delivery vans - and the van drivers make the most of that permission! You certainly have to be on your guard when riding in a bike lane.

Then of course there's the "we hate cars" brigade. Activists have even taken to deflating the tyres of SUVs under cover of darkness and leaving notes reprimanding them for owning one. Interestingly, these will be the same people protesting against the regimes of Vladimir Putin of Russia, Kim Jong-un of North Korea or Xi Jinping of China. But yet, these urban rebels feel that it's okay to disrupt the lives of people who don't embrace their beliefs and behaviours.

And let's not forget the countless cyclists who jump the red traffic lights - some with fatal consequences. Campaigners continue to lambast terrible drivers of motorised vehicles. If you dared to question cyclists who flout road traffic laws they give a response along the lines of cyclists don't kill people when they don't jump lights. Some even refuse to acknowledge that this law-breaking occurs.  

I don't understand how they can't see that this brand of self-righteousness, and thinking they are above all other road users just doesn't endear them to the general population. It's not surprising that folks make negative comments about these militants on pushbikes, and display negative behaviour towards them on the roads. Travelling around a town should be about sharing the thoroughfares, not occupying them to the exclusion of others.

And so, in the climate of what I have mentioned above, I find it quite difficult to call myself a cyclist. I get concerned that people may automatically picture me as one of those scary angry folks who jumps red lights and refuses to give way to any other road user. 

These days I prefer to consider myself as a person who likes to travel by bicycle, among other forms of transport. In addition, I like to do club cycling and cycle races, as well as other sporting activities. I think it's better to not let myself get too immersed in the chatter of activists and militants.

It's nice to see that more and more people are taking to push bikes. London has definitely become more of a cycling city, than ever before. Though I must say that I personally don't feel any push to say that everyone should ride bikes, though I wouldn't dissuade it either. And I certainly don't believe that anything in society is discouraging others from getting into bike riding if that's what they want to do.  

Above all, bike riding is always about choice. You make your choice and respect the choices of others. Sadly, I think that what I have said here sounds much too reasonable, and is likely to once again attract the ire of others.

Rapha Festive 500 resumé - a damp, grey vintage

This is the look of relief and satisfaction at finally completing the Rapha Festive 500 at the end of last year. It was a bit of a frustrating affair, with plans having to be amended and tinkered with along the way as weather conditions changed, and I also wanted to include other activities. 

Normally when I do the Rapha Festive I have a theme, and I focus 110% on bike riding. Last year the theme was around London Waterways. Previously I have done rail trails, parks and the spokes of a wheel.

This year, for once there was no theme. There had been a vague idea around "A Tale of Two Cities" - riding around London and then riding around Paris. But Emmanuel Macron decided to close the French borders to British people in attempt to protect the French from Covid - I'm not sure how well his cunning plan worked. In any case as the Covid Omicron variant had become extremely rampant all around Europe, I didn't feel keen to travel too far from home.

I decided I would do just "a tale of one city" - London. Also, I would not pass on the opportunity to do other activities or social activities during that week. It was going to be a case of being very organised about how I would fit in the 500k, or roughly 70km per day for eight days.

The main way to do it would be to allow flexibility on where I ride, which bike I use and potentially mixing in the commuting miles associated with when I do a non-cycling activiy. It would probably mean a less interesting Festive 500, but I was still sure I'd get in those all-important kilometres nevertheless.

My day 1 ride, on Christmas Eve was all about getting in a good slice of mileage. It's always good to get in a healthy number of kilometres on the first. Psychologically it puts you on a positive footing. My ride was to Box Hill - why not start with somewhere well-known and with a feelgood factor. Maybe I'd even doo two or three circuits of the famous ZigZag.

In fact during the ride I realised I had become a bit overambitious with my goal. My route to the Surrey Hills had involved going over a couple of hills South of Croydon and going over Farthing Down and Reigate first. But when I had only done about 20 miles I was already starting to look at my watch and I had that "Are we there yet?" feeling. My legs were also beginning to grumble and, while riding along the rolling road between Reigate and Dorking I wondered if I would even be able to do one ascension of the Zig Zag. I was already pooped. 

Mentally filing through my mental records of the bike training I had done, I realised that not only had I missed a good week of cycling, it had also been a good month since I'd ridden my bike anything longer than 25 miles! So here I was effectively reaching my limit. I was only able to ride up the Zig Zag once, and even that was more like a crawl up the 2km climb. By the time I got there cake shop was closed, and the place was deserted. So much for "the most popular hill in the South of England"! 

My ride back to South London was a sorry affair, where every little rise in the road hurt my legs and I really had to will myself along to keep turning the pedals. Instead of doing the planned 100km, I just about managed 65km. So I resigned myself to doing around that - each day and the odd 70 or 80km in order to get through the challenge.

Christmas Day was an equally challenging affair - made worse by the fact that I did the Park Run in Richmond Park that morning. During the 12-mile ride back home I stopped two or three times for a snack. My legs felt hollow.

I must say I was glad I didn't do the Tale of Two Cities Ride. One city was clearly more than enough for me.

Weatherwise, both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day had been pretty grey morose looking days, with a bit of drizzle thrown in. Boxing Day was pretty wet. I told myself I would just cycle around Hyde Park and Regents Park and go home. They seemed pretty doable rides and when the ride is just going into Central London I get a sense that it is quite doable - it's local, familiar. What could possibly go wrong. Things seemed to be going swimmingly, as I began to get used to the rain, when I felt a softening of the rear tyre indicating I had a puncture - damn!

Fortunately, it happened near the Serpentine Gallery, so I was able to find a mini shelter and change the inner tube. Unfortunately, my bike pump wasn't up to the job, and after straining every sinew in my body to pump up the tyres I think I still had only about 35PSI instead of the usual 100PSI that I run on. As it was Boxing Day there were no trains to get me home, so I did a slow, gentle ride home. I only managed 50km that day, but was determined to get in a big day for Day 4 as I was beginning to get my energy levels back - it's amazing what a bit of turkey can do for your legs, and your motivation.

Holy Moly, it was manic Monday and I only got as far as Vauxhall when pssst I got that sinking feeling. A puncture again! This time I wasn't going to take up time stopping at the side ofcth road to repair it, but instead got on a train back to Crystal Palace. Then to salvage the day, and before the rain turned heavy I got out my cyclocross bike and dìd a few laps of Cator Park, followed by a few laps of Dulwich Park. It was only 25 miles recorded, and a frustating few miles at that, but that's all part of the fun of the Festive 500.

From Tuesday onwards I resolved to use my cyclocross bike, given that the weather had made the roads grubby with débris and therefore prone to causing punctures when on a road bike. I felt a bit self-consciouson the bike as it was a swanky by my standards - A lovely pimped up Specialized Crux. On top of that, my race number for the London Cyclocross League needed to stay on my bike to the end of the season. So aside from the unease that I was potentially flattening the surface of the nobbly tyres, I also began to feel a sense of 'imposter syndrome'. I don't usually suffer from this, but those feelings were definitely real given that the bike was beyond my pootle pace! But I was ready to withstand those symptoms if it meant I could get through the challenge.

On one day I used my commuting cyclocross bike to clock up about 30 miles as I cycled to Sadlers Wells theatre to see The Nutcracker. That was the best day of the Festive 500 - not just because it's an entertaining way to spend the day over the Christmas period, but also because the sun actually shone.

If Wednesday was the most pleasant day, Thursday was the longest. Rather than leave London, I made my trip about exploring South and North London, including a visit to the other transmitter at Alexandra Palace. On that day I actually managed 100km and felt fine afterwards, and the weather was on my side, even if the day was a bit grey. You have to take what you can get at this time of year. 

For my final day normal service resumed with drizzle and rain. Thankfully I only needed to do 25 miles, so that came in the form of a whizz around my local South London neighbourhood - nothing special. With that, there were no photos to show. So the above picture is the only one that was worth taking - just the one to tick the box and give a nod to Rapha, the sponsors of the event. And I must say, the jacket was pretty warm and dry.

It was a relief to have done the 500 km. There was perhaps more to celebrate than just getting the distance. 2021, like 2020 was hit by the fall-out from coronavirus. So that had meant plans having twists and turns. This 500km had been a reflection of that. Therefore a willingness to adapt to the changing situation is a good skill to have and makes me feel reassured.

Here's hoping for a straightforward 2022.

Related posts

Why I like the Festive 500

Rouleur Live - London rocks! Why I think London cycling infrastructure is pretty good

It was a pleasure to be on the panel at the London Rocks presentation at Rouleur Live, to talk about the positive aspects of cycling and cycle culture in London.

So many people talk about cycling in London in a negative way. It's something I have never really joined in doing, because I simply don't feel that way. I really enjoy cycling around London.

Rouleur Live panel, L-R: Laura Laker, Alec Briggs, yours truly, Ned Boulting

As someone who likes to travel by bicycle around London and in all the other places I visit around the UK and beyond, I don't think London does too badly, all things considered.

When Ian Cleverly of Rouleur asked me about appearing on this panel I was quite excited about doing it. In fact, I even put together a flow of how I thought the presentation could go! 

But a basic brief had already been put together and other panellists confirmed, so it was a case of going with the flow on the day. The presentation was chaired by Rebecca Charlton, and the other panellists were Laura Laker, Alec Briggs, and Ned Boulting. We all had slightly different perspectives: Laura was occupying her role as the active transport guru, given the writing that she does about it in The Guardian, Alec is a bike racer, though not a nerdy one that only talks about bikes and tech - but more of a cool hip kind of guy who keeps it real. The fact that he can also win races is just coincidental! 

Ned was there in his capacity as social commentator given that he gets on the telly a lot, commentating on the Tour de France, and other major cycling competitions, as well as being an author and a president of Herne Hill Velodrome. Then there was me - in the brief I was just billed as "all round good egg who likes to get out there rather than just talking about it!" I'm cool with that description.

We all had something to say, and were very positive about bike riding in London. The audience which engaged with us too, which is always a bonus. The main points we had to say is that London gets a bad rap, which is slightly unfair given that it is a newcomer in terms of infrastructure compared with other cities like Amsterdam and Copenhagen. 

Also, people have a tendency to take to social media to rant about negative aspects of cycling. Folks generally aren't going to go on-line to tell positive stories. It's not helped either by certain high-profile folks in media who constantly post footage from their helmet cameras about something they saw that didn't go well. 

There needs to be a way of highlighting the positives of cycling on a regular basis, rather than painting cycling in London as a doom and gloom picture as though folks cycling on the road were entering a lion's den or playing Russian Roulette.

In terms of cycling culture, because London is such a diverse place, there are varying "cycling tribes", meaning that some sets of cyclists don't always warm to other types of cyclists - for instance those dressed in Lycra on their road racing bikes vs. those in everyday clothes on a hybrid bike. 

At this moment in time, London is trying to find its feet in terms of cycling culture and cycling infrastructure. At some point things will settle down and cycling will become normalised as an everyday thing, rather than it being a specific activity set apart from other everyday activities. 

For the presentation I noted down various points, though didn't have the time to mention everything, so I will note them here:

• I first started cycling around London in 2001, at a time when most people cycling were cycle couriers and only a few hundred cycle commuters. I would only see about one or two women per week on a bike.
• There were no segregated cycle lanes at all - just the odd road that had a painting of a bicycle on the edge of the road, marking the bike lane! I used to spend time planning my own route from A to B through London via various back streets as there were no sign posts or maps. 
• Junctions at Elephant & Castle, Old Street, and Vauxhall Cross often involved putting my observation and bike handling skills fully to the test! 
• Nowadays, we have segregated cycle lanes including at those aforementioned busy junctions, a Superhighway network, signposted Quiet Ways, traffic-free paths, and a bike-sharing scheme for those who don't own a bike.
• When cycling to work at rush hour, there are so many cyclists on some roads that it's almost like being part of a mass participation bike ride. 

Segregated (ish) cycle path near rue de Rivoli, Paris

• Over the last 15 years that I have cycled in Paris I have noticed a steady growth in the number of cycle lanes, and on my most recent trip there had been radical changes, notably right in the centre, around Chatelet and Rivoli. 
• However, the lanes aren't any better than what can be found in London, particularly because sometimes a segregated lane "disappears" and then you are back in with the main flow of traffic.
• Segregated cycle lanes aren't totally segregated because there are gaps in the lanes to allow for delivery vans to pull into them!
• The traffic lights are phased so that even if you have right of way in the cycle lane, motorists can still turn right across your path - so you have to keep an eye out. That is something that you see in many European cities. I also saw that when I cycled across New York City.
•  It's great that many streets allow for cyclists to ride in contraflow up a one-way street, but some of the roads are very narrow, forcing you to give way to an oncoming van. 
• Some of the roads in central Paris are cobbled - not quite Paris-Roubaix, but you definitely get a bumpy ride. Ditto for when I used to cycle around Milan.
• There are very few green spaces to ride a bicycle in Central Paris until you get to the extremities of the city at Bois de Vincennes or Bois de Boulogne.

Bois de Vincennes on the edge of Paris - one of the few green spaces for bikes in the city

• I cycled around Brussels a couple of years ago, and had similar experiences to Paris, in terms of motorists encroaching into the segregated cycle lane. Also, some parts of the cycle lane contained a drainage channel, which I found hazardous to cycle on, so I ended up riding wide and on the main carriageway.
• Outside of Brussels, when riding in the Flanders region it was great to see cycle lanes on the A roads - something you also see in France as well.
• Interestingly folks talk about Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, and other countries in Europe being more cycling friendly countries than the UK. During the first coronavirus lockdown I used part of the time to do conversation exchanges with folks in other countries (to practice my language skills). Whenever I asked them about cycling in their country (apart from the Netherlands and Denmark), they all said that they don't ride because they find cycling in their country dangerous!
• Many cycling activists talk about wanting the freedom to ride their bike how they want - the freedom to wear whatever colour clothing they want, use or not use the cycle lane, wear a helmet or not, or put a bell on their bike.
• In these countries that are deemed "cycling friendly" even they have their rules. In many countries it is a legal requirement for your bike to have a bell fitted that can be heard from 100m away; it is illegal to ride on the main carriageway where there is a cycle lane; notably in France, cyclists have to wear high-vis on dim days or at night when outside of the city; in Spain it is illegal to not wear a helmet when outside of a built-up area.

So in light of all of the above it is hard to say that cyclists in London get a raw deal compared with other places. In fact, I feel very happy to ride around London and have the liberty to wear what I want and not have to stress about finding a bell for my bike!

It is also worth noting that when comparing infrastructure to other cities around the world, London is a sprawling mass compared with other cities and that the Mayor of London has to work on a surface area that is easily two or three times that of other European cities. 

On Blackfriars Bridge, London, next to a cycle Superhighway

Furthermore, this surface area is divided into 33 boroughs, each with its own administration and decision making power regarding cycling infrastructure - an added layer that Sadiq Khan has to deal with when trying to improve cycling in the city.

So on balance, I don't think we do so bad, and I do agree that London rocks!

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South London to Central London by bike (mainly traffic-free)

London gears up for more bike riders

Photo of the day - 8: Open water swimming in the Thames

 

photo: Eirian Evans

This is where I should have been today - swimming round and round in the River Thames at Richmond. However, finishing off a number of writing projects meant that I couldn't get the time out to go there. The Thames Young Mariners have regular open water swimming sessions there, and given that it is within the London area it is well worth getting along and having a swim. The coordinator is allowing extended sessions too, for those of us who need to do long swims. I love the idea of swimming in that area - especially in Richmond, one of my favourite areas of London. Hopefully I will get to swim there soon. Apparently, there will be sessions through the autumn and winter too, but I must say I would rather do my first swims there now. I'm not quite ready for really cold water just yet. I'll leave that to the hard core fanatics!

Photo of the day - 4: Getting ready for Swim Serpentine, London

It was quite a surprise to see this photo of me on the Swim Serpentine weekly newsletter. It's actually a photo the organisers took of me just after I finished my one-mile swim at Swim Serpentine about two or three years ago. I was really buzzing from the enjoyment of the event, and the fact that I had had a good swim over one mile. It's not always the case. Sometimes the water is choppy, or you bump into other competitors. Sometimes I get tense in the water, particularly if I can't see the buoys and I lose sight of where I'm going. But this was a good swim, with lots of buoys to help with sighting, loads of crowd support in Hyde Park and on the Serpentine Bridge, and even swans for company! 

The photo is also a reminder to train, and the fact that the event is just a couple of weeks away. I have signed up for the two-mile event, which is a stretch target, though I have done lots of swimming this year. Swimming was the first organised sports we could do when lock-down measures were eased. However, it hasn't always been easy for me to fit in the time to swim two miles. A mixture of my busy schedule, and some venues only allowing you to swim for an hour has meant that it's quite hard to go the full distance.

The good thing is that when I aired this issue on the Open Water Swimming Facebook group I had lots of replies from people naming venues where it is possible to swim for longer than an hour - including one of my local open-water swimming venues at the Royal Victoria Docks. So now, I just need to take myself to those venues. Not long to go until the big day - 18th September.

Rapha Festive 500, London Waterways - Day 2: Thames Path

Featured waterways: Waterlink Way (River Pool and River Ravensbourne), Thames Path, Docklands, Limehouse Cut and Basin, River Thames (from Greenwich to Woolwich)

Distance ridden: 63km 

Cumulative distance: 143km

Distance left: 357km

Terrain: Mainly tarmac, with a short gravel section at Limehouse Cut

Weather: Sunny but cold, 4 degC

Nutrition: Water

Route on Strava:

As is the tradition for me, the second day of my Festive 500, Christmas Day is a ride in Central London. The routes vary each year, but they always pass through the central area London. I often find it a treat to cycle around London when the roads are empty compared with how they are on other days of the year.

Mind you, with the exceptional year that we have had with the Covid-19 pandemic this has meant that we have already had a number of weeks of deserted roads in Central London. If anything, the roads on Christmas Day were busier than they were in April when we were in lockdown!

These Christmas Day rides also tend to be shorter than other planned rides because I like to finish early so that I can get on with other things like seeing my family and having a leisurely Christmas dinner.

Cutty Sark, Greenwich

My route went along the Waterlink Way, which I pick up in Beckenham and travel up through Sydenham, Catford and Lewisham to reach Greenwich. There were quite a lot of people in Greenwich; most of them were queuing up outside Starbucks. That must surely have been the only café open in the whole of London!

From there, I took the Thames Path East to reach Woolwich. This path was tarmacked and you could ride through quite quickly. However, this path is popular with walkers and joggers, so I had to temper my speed especially on blind corners. There were a few narrow sections too where I had to be ready to give way to other cyclists and pedestrians.

As well as imposing vistas of the Canary Wharf complex on the opposite side of the Thames, the other big feature is the Thames Barrier. This feat of engineering is the one thing that protects London from being flooded. It is possible to do day trips there and find out more about the Thames and the London flood barriers. I've heard it's quite fascinating. That is something to look forward to once we are out of lockdown.

Thames Barrier

 At Woolwich, I took the foot tunnel to head North of the river. According to the Greenwich Borough website the lifts were out of order, so I went into the tunnel expecting to carry my bike down and then up the steps. To my pleasant surprise the lifts were working - that must have been the Council's Christmas present to me!

Once on the North side of the Thames I headed for Docklands. Unlike the North end of the Greenwich foot tunnel where you arrive at the Isle of Dogs and there's a mini park and snack bar area, the North end of the Woolwich foot tunnel is a bit lost, lonely and desolate with various industries in the area and not much else too see. It's not particularly well signposted for cyclists - almost like the authorities don't expect anyone to go cycling there. Granted, there is no real reason to be there unless you work there, are lucky enough to live there, or are doing a project on light industry!

Royal Victoria Docks

Thankfully, there was one sign for Beckton, and to be fair, there were a few cycle paths too. So I managed to get myself to the Excel Exhibition Centre (latterly known as the Nightingale Hospital for Covid-19 patients), and to Royal Victoria Docks, a place where I have been for open water swimming.

This area had more people and even group bike rides taking place as people were making the most of this sunny Christmas Day.

After navigating through the myriad of lanes and segregated cycle paths I reached Limehouse Cut. It is when I go through these parts of East London that I really notice the contrast in the different neighbourhoods. 

For example, Poplar in Tower Hamlets looked pretty deprived and reminded me of those documentaries like "World in Action" I would watch in the 1980s, where they would talk about life in the inner city. Although many depressing high-rise blocks have been replaced with cute sized semi-detached houses, there was still a lot of graffiti around, with rubbish in the streets and beat up old cars. One small road just off Cable Street stank of urine and was full of homeless people with all their wordly goods in old shopping trolleys. Depressing. 

Limehouse Basin

Meanwhile, in the nearby Limehouse Basin were trendy, plush apartment buildings facing onto the marina, where people can just pop across the way to their gym club or a restaurant (once they are open).

I must say, Limehouse Basin was a new find for me, and it did look picturesque - as evidenced by the many people who stopped and photographed the various barges and boats moored there.

From Limehouse I did a brief unplanned stint along the Regent's Canal. By unplanned, read "I took a wrong turning and realised I'd gone the wrong way after a mile or so!"

Not a problem - I quickly wound my way through Stepney Green to reach Cable Street and head towards Tower Bridge where I picked up the cycleway to Westminster. I have probably said it before, and will say it again - this is my favourite part to cycle in London. It is great to be on a segregated cycle lane, riding past all the well-known landmarks in London. That is quite a luxury. Many people had had the same idea as I did, to go cycling along there. Cyclists of all ages and abilities, on different types of bike populated the cycle path on this sunny Christmas Day. 

The last part of my ride in Central London took me over Westminster Bridge, and along the South Bank. It was quite a treat to be able to do this, as normally this area would be heaving with people making it difficult to cycle through. Granted, there were still enough people to create a buzzing atmosphere, but the government rules around going out with just one other person, meant there weren't massive crowds. So I was able to go from Waterloo to Tower Bridge unhindered, before dropping down onto a new segregated cycleway at Tower Bridge, which took me down Jamaica Road and to Surrey Quays, from where I continued east to Deptford Creek. 

As we were getting well into the afternoon, I realised the time had come to return home as I still wanted to get back and do the normal Christmas things (well as normal as we are allowed to do things at the moment). I wasn't going to miss out on enjoying some Christmas dinner and stuffing myself with chocolates and mince pies while watching the rather aptly named Home Alone!    

It was a good day.

Related posts 

Rapha Festive 500, London Waterways - Day 1

Photo of the day - 22: New Bike Day - a lovely Brompton!

Looking forward to zipping around London and beyond on this

So this landed on my doorstep, and it made my day! It was given to me by Brompton as a recompense for a day I had filming and doing a photo shoot with them in July. I had a good day out with their film crew recording footage and taking photos of a group of us cycling around Central London on Brompton bikes. That was the first time I was riding extensively on a Brompton. When I was based in Milan a few years ago I would do the 3-mile commute to work on a folding bike, so I did enjoy using that. I must admit though, that for me a Brompton is the gold standard in folding bikes. So being able to ride around London on that Sunday in July was great, and I was even more excited to know that 6-speed versions exist for those like me, who live in hilly areas. It was a very pleasant surprise to know I would be receiving one. So at lunchtime a young man arrived at the door with a big box, and I ran to the door like an excited child. It's in exactly the colour I wanted, too. Collegiate green is my thing, and I think it blends well with autumn colours. I look forward to zipping around London and beyond with it. 

Cycle route: Local gravel ride around South London-Croydon suburbs

Following on from my previous routes on road in the Kent/Surrey lanes, and a traffic-free route into Central London, I thought I would go off-road and share a route I like to do into the nearby trails. It is nice to get in a ride on some off-road trail, and some of them are nearer than you think.

An off-road ride need not be all about doing epic adventures along the South Downs or through the Surrey Hills (though admittedly they are fun). 

Sometimes, when pushed for time a ride just on local trails hits the spot for me. It is a kind of sweet spot as the trails are not particularly challenging technically, and even though I don't go far I can work up a sweat as there are usually one or two climbs, which can be a proper work-out if taken at pace.

And of course there's always an added bonus of riding around in nature, away from built-up areas and traffic. Funnily enough, the local trails are only within a couple of miles of Croydon but you really wouldn't know it.

One ride that I do goes out to Croham Hurst, on the edge of Selsdon, South Croydon. I start off from home and very quickly am in South Norwood Country Park and Nature Reserve. This is a place that was previously waste land, and sewage farm, but has been significantly spruced up in recent times. There are lots of walking and cycling trails, as well as a lake, popular with anglers.

From there I go around the Croydon Athletics Arena to go through Ashburton playing fields and Spring Park, which have a mini trail for cyclists. The first mini challenge is the climb up through Pine Wood where there are some tree roots to negotiate, though you can always wheel your bike if it's a bit too technical. 

At Croham Hurst

Opposite this area is Addington Hill, locally known as Shirley Hill. This is a great area for off-road riding and was previously used as a cyclocross venue in bygone days. However, there are some special pebbles on the ground among the heather which means that it is banned to cyclists. So I just make-do with going around the edge of it. Sometimes I do have the odd rebellious moment and ride over to the viewpoint, which has great vistas of London in the distance. It's worth the excursion, I'd say!

Once on the other side of Addington Hill the route drops towards Selsdon along a bridleway behind residential property, to then climb steeply to reach Croham Hurst.

This area of woodland is not very big, but there is a lot going on there, with many species of bird, insects and ancient woodland. So it is designated as a Special Site of Scientific Interest. When here, stick to the bridlepath and you'll be fine. Sometimes people from the Friends of Croham Hurst get a bit annoyed with cyclists who ride all over the trails. If in doubt just follow the horse poo, and you'll know you're on the bridleway!

Going up Conduit Lane

From these woods there's the option to turn round and return home via the steep bridleway known as Conduit Lane, and then pass through Coombe Woods and Lloyd Park. That makes for a short spin, but you do burn calories - especially when riding up Conduit Lane. 

It's not a given that I would be able to get up that path, especially as it can be a little loose or muddy, and require that bit more effort to get any forward motion on the 12% incline. One good thing about this is that it doesn't last long as the slope begins to level off just as you start thinking it's excruciating, and thereafter the bridleway is either flat or downhill. Then at the end, there is a cafe to reward your efforts and replenish those burnt calories!

Bear in mind that the ride through Lloyd Park is also slightly uphill so take your time over your break (if you've got time)! Once out of Lloyd Park the ride is in its closing stages and the route passes once again into Ashburton Playing Fields before returning to South Norwood Country Park. Given the size of this area and the abundance of trails you can extend your ride by doing a few loops of this area if you suddenly feel the urge to stay out for longer, without being too far from home.

Back in South Norwood Country Park

So in a nutshell, that is one way of getting in a 60-90 minute ride while burning a few calories, being in touch with nature, and away from the London hustle and bustle.

There are other variants for extending this ride, like going on to Little Heath Woods, Selsdon Nature Reserve, or on to Three Half-Penny Wood. I detail those routes in another post in the future.

This route, along with other local routes can be found on my Strava feed.  

 

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Lockdown London brings out large number of cyclists

Cycle route: South London to Central London (mainly traffic-free)

As more and more people take to two wheels, particularly around London, I wanted to share a route I took last Sunday when going from my local area, Crystal Palace, to central London.

On Blackfriars Bridge

This is a route that a lot of people will take, particularly if are among those who don't work from home, and therefore must travel to their place of work in London. Others may even just want to go to London for a recreational visit, stroll around the royal parks, go shopping, or meet a friend - in a socially distant way of course!

Quite a lot of people talk about how dangerous it is, how there are too many cars, how cycling unfriendly London is.... Well, I took this route and I was quite happy with it. It's a route I would recommend to anyone who wants to cycle into London. It's around 10 miles, goes along quiet roads, segregated cycle paths, and through parks. You can even do the route at a leisurely pace and enjoy the scenery and landmarks that London has to offer.

For this ride I rode an E-Bike, the Liv Thrive E+, which I have been riding of late, to get around London and beyond. It's been so useful to have it - including for me, as someone who also does training rides. Sometimes it's just nice to have a bike that can give me a little bit of assistance after a training session, especially when getting out of hilly Crystal Palace while I'm a bit pooped!

Leaving Crystal Palace

The first section of the ride takes me across Betts Park in Anerley, and onto Maple Road to reach Penge. Going up through Penge is where the climbing starts. It is possible to ride up through Crystal Palace Park to reach the top of the hill, though I stayed on the main road as there is a wide enough strip marked out for cyclists, and the road is wide enough to accommodate motorists and cyclists.

The top of the road near the junction and mini roundabouts has a bus lane, and cycle paths to get you across the junction to turn right for the descent along College Road. 

In Edward Alleyn's backyard

College Road is very popular with cyclists of all ages and levels. And on this sunny Sunday there were many riders out and about. Given that part of it is a toll road, there are fewer motorists than on other roads. Just beware of the speed bumps!

Dulwich Village

College Road and Dulwich College, on that road, are two well-known features that form part of The Dulwich Estate, founded by the actor and friend of William Shakespeare, Edward Alleyn in 1619. 

This guy was big in Dulwich, having set up the Estate as a charity to provide education for underpriviledged children through its various schools - including Dulwich College and Alleyn School. 

A number of roads and a pub are named after Edward Alleyn. The Estate owns a large amount of land and property, including Herne Hill Velodrome. Between interests like the tolled College Road, income from rented properties and leased land, the Dulwich Estate has the means to keep the listed buildings of Dulwich Village and the surrounding areas looking immaculate. 

Once at the bottom of College Road I reach Dulwich Park, another stretch of land originally owned by Edward Alleyn. These days the Grade II listed park is run by Southwark Council, and I must say it's always a pleasure to stop by there. 

 

Onwards from Dulwich Village, my route goes to East Dulwich, where there is a traffic-free cycle path called Green Dale. It is a steady climb up to Denmark Hill, where you cross the road, go through some back streets to reach Ruskin Park - named after the artist and painter John Ruskin who later settled in the Lake District.

South London massive

Very soon I am at the large medical teaching and research centre, King's College Hospital. From here there is a distinct ambiance of being in "urban London", as some of the tall buildings of the city come into view. The route goes through the back streets of Camberwell, Myatts Fields, and Kennington, to reach Elephant & Castle roundabout.

This junction used to instil fear into most cyclists, and was sadly the scene of a number of cyclist fatalities. Thankfully, following a £25m overhaul of the roundabout, including improving the cycle lanes and quiet ways around there by the Mayor of London, you can cross the junction safely.

Elephant & Castle is the first place where you find a segregated cycle superhighway, and in fact from here on in, the route is largely traffic-free as there are various segregated cycle paths to use. This path leads to Lambeth, near Westminster Bridge, though I turn right before that onto a spur road to St George's Circus, where I reach the extensive Cycle Superhighway (known as CS6) that goes to Clerkenwell, via Blackfriars Bridge. 

This is a nice and wide that allows two-way traffic for cyclists, complete with cycle-specific traffic lights too. On a working day huge numbers of riders snake up and down this path and, dare I say it, even a bit of commuting racing going on!

 

Welcome to Westminster

At the end of Blackfriars Bridge a left-hand turn gets me onto another Cycle Superhighway along the River Thames to Westminster. It's an iconic stretch giving views synonymous with the famous London skyline - South Bank, the London Eye, Big Ben (once they remove the scaffolding)!

On The Mall - traffic-free on a Sunday

From Westminster a system of traffic lights takes me across to the different lanes on Parliament Square, and into Great George Street to reach St James's Park and Buckingham Palace. 

With segregated cycle paths either side of this Royal Park - along Birdcage Walk and parallel to The Mall you are spoilt for choice. 

On a Sunday, the day I was there, the choice was even better as The Mall is traffic-free on this day and on bank holidays. 

So you can happily ride up the main carriageway and dodge around walking tourists rather than London taxis!

My route then goes up the path next to Constitution Hill, to reach Hyde Park Corner. Some cyclists who like a challenge will ride along the main carriageway of this busy junction, mixing it with London traffic as it whizzes around Wellington Arch. However, most people will use the crossings that take cyclists, pedestrians, and horse-riders safely across the thoroughfare to enter Hyde Park.

Park Life

On entering Hyde Park you can either turn left to ride along the segregated lane on South Carriage Drive, turn left into another parallel cycle path that goes towards Rotten Row, go straight on along the shared use path known as the Broad Walk, or do what I did and take the new segregated cycle path that goes along Park Lane. This is one of many pop-up cycle lanes that were quickly built as part of the response to the coronavirus pandemic, designed to entice more people to travel by bicycle rather than crowding out public transport.

This path is slightly narrower than the permanent cycle superhighways in London but it is still functions well, and I must say it is better than putting up with the sharp bumps on the parallel Broad Walk. The path ends at Marble Arch, from where you can end your journey there and head into the shops and cafes nearby Oxford Street.  

Hyde Park, near the Serpentine Gallery and Lake

I'm not big on shopping so I just continued through the park along North Carriage Drive and got onto the segregated path that took me past the Serpentine Gallery and the lake, and down towards Knightsbridge.

Made in Chelsea

I exited Hyde Park via South Carriage Drive, near the opulent Mandarin Oriental Hotel, to pedal through the back streets of Belgravia to reach Sloane Square. Like Dulwich, which has a lot of places named after Edward Alleyn, this area is named after the main landowners, the Cadogan family and the Grosvenor family (surname of the Duke of Westminster). 

Quiet roads and little mews with luxury cars parked outside are the characteristic feature around here. Yes, there is a car culture, but the cars seem more for show than to actually drive around - which suits me fine when I'm trying to get from A to B on my bike! Eventually, I emerge at the bustling Sloane Square, and stop to enjoy a light snack on the benches before heading home via Pimlico, Vauxhall Bridge, and Oval.

My total distance door-to-door was just over 40 km (25 miles), though the ride from South London into Central London is around 16km (10 miles). If you don't want to ride home it is possible to jump on a train (while remembering to take a face covering or mask) at Charing Cross or Victoria Stations to get back to South London. 

This was a very pleasant bike ride for me. I feel blessed to have so many cycle lanes to take me into and around Central London, and be able to ride around some of the most famous places in the world.

Here is the route as recorded on Strava

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