Central London CTC blog

The Thursday evening Regent’s Park Tune-up and Social, inaugurated by Nick Bloom a couple of years ago, has enjoyed a half-life through two winters. On the finest, mildest evening of the year so far, a mere couple of us turned out to stretch our legs, but as a change we were to be joined by a guest, Paul Waddington, of VC Beverley.

As usual, Jon and I met at the cafe on the Inner Circle and swung into the routine of clockwise circuits at medium tempo. Presently we were joined by Paul, who had been delayed en route by an impact puncture on one of central London’s gaping potholes. Paul is a proper roadie and the pace picked up. Soon Jon and I were moving well beyond our comfort zone, Paul’s legs whirling around like bees wings on his 72″ fixed. Some consider this form of circuit cycling like nothing so much as a hamster’s futile exercise on a wheel; but it has its own zen charm. more »

For the second year I entered the Blenheim Palace time trial and by now I should be getting the hang out of it. However, the air of nervous anticipation that hung over me at the start led me to make several mistakes before i was even on the road. In my nervousness I managed to leave my gloves and glasses (luckily not prescription) in the tent where I signed on. Then, walking across the dewy grass in the early morning my cleats became clogged up which meant I could barely clip in. Finally, I just could not seem to balance as I was held upright to start. So I started with one foot on the ground which, with the grass-clogged cleat, meant it took me several revolutions before I had both feet in the pedals and I was off and riding.

My ambition was to do better than my time last year (39 minutes 45 seconds) and, if possible to manage a time of 37 and a half minutes which would equal an average speed of 20mph for the 20 kilometre route. This would be my stepping stone to greater things next year when I turn 50 and aim to complete a 25 mile TT. more »

Sunday 9th August saw the first of the Richmond Park pilot Time Trials run by London Dynamo on closed roads in the Park before it opened in the morning – first rider off at 06.00  and last at 07.00. Those of you who have the odd spin round the park will know it as a desirable little circuit with a few hilly bits, and it is all the more desirable with no cars. (Quite a few people use it after dark in the winter – you can get in when the gates are shut unless there is a deer cull.) The idea is for it to be like the Blenheim Palace TT which some in Central London CTC have sampled.

I set off from home at 05.00, passing clubbers going IN to Harlesden clubs. I never knew I could get up at 04.30. more »

Dunwich Dynamo seems a relative newcomer to the calendar. I liked the sound of it and and went so far as to practise for it one year, perhaps even the very first. But it took place on the coldest July night for a century and I gave it a miss. Each successive year I thought I would do it. But it was a shock to find that this year’s edition was the seventeenth.

London Fields was heaving, not just with riders arriving, but with crowds of local people sprawled in the still-hot evening sunshine. The smell of barbecue filled the air. The départ at the Pub on the Park is rather constricted, but I was quickly able to fall in quickly with George, Jon and Richard. At the last moment Snuggsy showed up and we set off promptly at 8…only to be arrested by a text from Rory to tell us to hang on. more »

If you’re going to put “Hell” in the name of a bike ride then you’re probably not planning on making it a picnic.  And so it was for the Hell of the Ashdown sportive at the beginning of February

This was the first time I had done the event and in the past it used to be a rawer reliablility ride with minimal facilities.  Now it is a full blown sportive with timing chips and photographers on the roadside capturing the event.  However the terrain and, on this occasion, the weather combined to make it a uniquely hard experience.  And the photographers were usually halfway up a steep climb ready to record my pain. more »

We gathered, in dribs and drabs, to watch some surprisingly big names race – some of whom brought their own clouds. You could get close enough to hear locals Bradley Wiggins and David Millar wise-crack at the signing on, while the Europeans smiled and obliged with a few words. The course was 8 laps of what was pretty much my commute – but at least for them it stayed dry. Our chosen vantage point at the Embankment corner gave a great view of the riders as they singled out to round it safely, and Hungerford bridge a bird’s-eye view of the rainbow peloton streaming along by the river.

It was classic criterium racing – after a lap spent checking out the road surface, the pace was upped then a break of 8 got away from the bunch. Eventually they were reeled in, apart from a solo Italian bid for glory, to be quashed by the efforts of CSC. So the bunch stormed together towards the finish in the shadow of Big Ben, with star sprinter Petacchi taking it.

Then they were all whisked away to Milton Keynes ready for the next stage, and some of us piled back to Italia Uno to catch the last hour of the Vuelta a Espana on TV.

…is the only mass-start ride I’ve ever been on where I lost the entire field within 15 minutes and didn’t see them again until the pub at the finish!

I had carefully studied the route promulgated on the Rapha website and memorized it. West London is my patch and, apart from a little vagueness near Chelsea Harbour, I knew where I was going without referring to instructions. That meant I didn’t take the route sheet at the start at Smithfield, so I don’t know what was indicated for Hyde Park Corner. What I do know is that Grosvenor Crescent is mos def left, not right, so I was astonished, after reaching the top of Birdcage Walk at the head of a pretty untidy peloton and plunging into the roundabout, to look over my shoulder and see everyone streaming through the Wellington Arch. more »