Freewheeling - Farewell Queen Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Mountbatten-Windsor)

Ride in Peace Elizabeth II (Photo: Getty images)

It has been a surreal 10 days or so since the death of the Queen was announced on 8th September. That day is definitely another of those "Where were you when....." moments. 

The news is not quite as shocking as with Princess Diana, when we really didn't see that coming and woke up to the shock news, one Sunday morning in August 1997, of the fatal car crash.

Also, with the Queen being 96, increasingly frail and cancelling more and more engagements you got a sense that the end was coming sooner or later. even if, as Boris Johnson said, people had a child-like belief that she could live forever. Sadly it wasn't to be.

So when I saw Prime Minister Liz Truss and Labour opposition leader Keir Starmer suddenly leave the House of Commons during an important televised debate, I realised there was a serious issue. It was underlined even more by the fact that during the lunchtime news that followed, the BBC News readers wore a black tie and jacket and all television programmes were cancelled as we watched continuous news about Her Majesty. We received updates on various members of the royal family travelling up to Balmoral to be with her - even Prince Andrew and Prince Harry.

Finally, when newsreader Cathy Newman of Channel 4 interrupted the episode of Hollyoaks I was watching, to deliver the solemn news I felt a combination of sadness and loss. It was like we had come to the end of an era. I had only ever known of the Queen as our head of state. As a child, whether it was at school or even at the Brownie Guides we were taught to respect the Queen. I recall as a child loads of fanfare around the Silver Jubilee in 1977. We lived in Nottingham at the time, and I have happy memories of me my mum and my sisters standing and waving at her as she drove past on a visit to our city. 

I must say that she seemed much more of a figurehead for the United Kingdom than any of our Prime Ministers. She always conducted herself with great dignity and correctness, and clearly demonstrated an enormous sense of duty by the way that she always turned up at events come rain or shine - be it to visit a hospital, open a community centre, a supermarket, or presenting folks with their medals - as well as visiting and welcoming heads of states of all hues and characters - from Nelson Mandela to Nicolae Ceauşescu.

I hadn't expected to be as saddened at her passing as I thought I would be. There was a sense of the country being slightly rudderless as we had a new Prime Minister and a departed monarch. 

With Queen Elizabeth II now laid to rest we can begin to get some closure and get used to our new monarch. I fully support Charles III becoming the new sovereign, but the fact is with the best will in the world he can't be like his mother. For a start, given his advanced age when commencing the job he'll do well to get to celebrate a Silver Jubilee. 

Charles is a king for the modern era and with that comes very different styles and ways of doing things. Elizabeth was of that era where things were much more formal, with a strong sense of protocol and duty, and you never really knew exactly what she was thinking. She just got on with what she needed to do, never complaining or explaining.

You couldn't imagine her getting into a strop and shouting "Oh this bloody pen" when signing an official document! It was against protocol to touch the Queen apart from to shake hands. But the King has allowed well-wishers to hug him, and he even let one woman kiss him. So we are already seeing a different type of monarch. 

Looking at the various tributes and stories about the Queen, I have learned how physically active she was. We all know about her love for horses and corgies - it was a sorry sight seeing her pets outside Windsor Castle as her coffin was carried into the Chapel. 

But it was very interested to learn about the other activities she did. She had been a car mechanic, and had learned how to strip down an engine. She learned to ride a motorbike too. There is a photo of her practicing riding around cones on what looked like a Royal Enfield motorbike. Prime Ministers have also told tales of how they clung on for dear life in her Land Rover as she drove them around the grounds of Balmoral like she was in Rally race! And of course she liked to spend hours hiking around Balmoral too.

My favourite picture, has to be this one of the teenage Elizabeth, taken while out cycling with her younger sister Margaret. I must say Elizabeth does look stylish on the bike. She would have looked well at home on one of the Tweed Run rides that is organised around London!

Without being really overt about it, Queen Elizabeth was a bit of a feminist. She was one of the earliest examples of a working mum - becoming Queen while Prince Charles and Princess Anne were toddlers. She ended up spending a lot of time away from them, but by the time Andrew and Edward were born she had got to know the ropes of the job and did take on the role of juggling "stay-at-home" mum while carrying out her duties. 

It was also under Elizabeth's reign that the laws of accession were changed so that women could become the direct heir to the throne, rather than being placed behind the men in the family. So Princess Charlotte (her great grand-daughter) is now third in line to the throne, where previously she would have been placed behind her younger brother Louis. 

I have a lot of admiration for the subtle influence the Queen had on our lives and I will miss having a monarch as dignified as Elizabeth II. 

Rapha Festive 500: Day 6

Thursday 29th December - My Tour de Londres - Western loop (Berkshire)

As I had planned to ride roughly 90km, with a view to completing my challenge on Friday 30th December, I had hoped to leave the house promptly at 9am.

In fact one look out of the window showed that an early start would not be prudent as London was shrouded in mist, and the roads were icy.

Where the previous stage led to me leaving the house just before 10am instead of 9am, on this stage I ended up leaving at 10.30am instead of 10am.  

My ride into Kent had made me feel slightly anxious as the terrain there tends to be quite hilly, which means the ride is slower going and I am racking up the fewer miles for my money. And you can't fly down the descents either due to the inherent risks.

For this ride in to Berkshire, on the other hand, I felt more relaxed. I had planned to ride to Windsor via Hampton Court and Virginia Water on a familiar route which would be mainly flat, and on suburban roads that are less likely to be icy than country lanes. 

Hampton Court Palace

I always associate south-west London with being picturesque and unchallenging - the sort of place where families can go out riding on easy routes, enjoying a pleasant ride, and stopping off for a picnic at one of the well-known attractions at or near the river.

So I was looking forward to today's ride, particularly Virginia Water Lake, one of my favourite spots in London. 

Having said that, the weather was mighty cold, and I was wrapped up in as many layers I could muster, including two layers dhb Aeron rain and wind defence gear. I wasn't taking any chances! 

At least the sun shone most of the day, and when I arrived at Hampton Court the palace looked lovely in the midday sun, and so did the River Thames.

Virginia Water Lake

Onwards and I arrived at Virginia Water, which looked magical in the sunshine. I can see why this place has become a favoured location for filming the Harry Potter movies.

I had wanted to ride to Windsor along the cycle paths surrounding the lake and in Windsor Great Park, but judging the state of the icy surfaces I thought better of it, and took the nearby main road through the Wentworth Estate. 

Although this was not a busy road, it was not great as the motorists that passed me were mainly 4 x 4 Mercedes and BMWs zooming by at ridiculous speeds along the lane like they wanted to prove a point. Furthermore, there were areas where one moment you'd be in sunshine, and the next you'd be in a random dense foggy patch that just sat right over that road and showed no sign of going away. Thankfully I had lights and high visibility gear on.

Finally, I arrived in Windsor where the tourists were out in force. As time was marching on, there was just time to go for a spin along Eton Bridge, and then whizz up to the castle, before returning to Staines via Runnymede and taking the train back to London.

Outside Windsor Castle

This could easily have been a ride to do all the way home, but on a day where visibility was hit and miss and the temperatures were rapidly falling as sunset was approaching it was more prudent to end the ride sooner rather than later. Once the weather is better this route will be at the top of my list to ride all the way back to my house. 

Stats:

89.1km ridden; running total - 407.8km; 92.2km left
2 mini packs of oat cakes, 4 hobnobs
Weather: frosty, sunny, with foggy patches, 4degC

Rides on Strava
Western loop (Berkshire)

Ride from the train station

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So much riding, so little time !

In the last week I've done two track sessions, two track leagues, a criterium race, a turbo trainer session, plus about 150 miles of commuting by bicycle and a bit of running. My legs are beginning to feel it. It's not helped by my less than regular stretching sessions either.
I'm hoping to do some derny paced riding this evening at the velodrome, race at the MOD Chertsey on Saturday, and then on Sunday either race at Thruxton or do an unofficial London to Brighton (and back) ride.
Just the thought of this will make my legs scream !

It's that time of year when there are so many bike events taking place, and I want to take part. The sun's out, it's warm, the nights are long. So why not make the most of it.

Talking to a guy I met from Denmark, last year he asked - how many times a year they have races in London ? How would I know ?? In London and the South East, especially in the summer you could race every day of the week if you wanted. From track racing, crit racing, Surrey League races and time trials there's so much going on that you wonder how you can fit all in ! And of course there's all the off-road/mountain biking stuff too.

It's funny how when I meet people from other parts of the UK, especially up North they almost want to feel sorry for Londoners - "it must be tough for you guys - where can you ride a bike in London ?" In fact with all the events that are going on I feel lucky to be in London. The South East has at least as many, if not more events taking place than in other regions. And they are within easy reach of home. Our region was the only one to hold a women-only road race championships.
It is a shame that we lost the facility at Eastway last year. But it still has not curbed racing activity. Maybe it's the Tour de France effect making more people want to take to get into the whole competitive cycling aspect.

As for the racing season, just like with climate change, everything seems to be merging into one ! The road racing season used to begin in March and finish in late September. Now the season has been stretched, with it starting in early February and finishing in late October. In fact there is even a road racing league that takes place through the winter months. As long as people turn up to race the organisers see no reason not to hold the event. And the riders turn up en masse every Saturday, come rain or shine ! Even the London cyclo cross league is now starting a week earlier, in mid September just to fit in the additional rounds. So for folks like myself, who like doing both road racing and cyclo cross it really becomes a juggling act. So much riding, so little time !

In terms of bike rides and club runs, living at Crystal Palace I have easy access to Kent and Surrey. I can head down Anerley Hill, and 6 miles later I am at the beginning of the North Downs in Kent. A little to the west are the Surrey Hills with famous climbs like Box Hill and Leith Hill. Great cycling country - especially if you want to test yourself ! For more clement stuff there are the lanes going South West, towards Kingston, along the river Thames and out towards Windsor.

So with all that's going on it's difficult for me, during a sunny weekend or evening to opt to stay at home. I'm happier on a bike. I just need to decide which bike I use, what I do with it, and try not to overdo it !