Central London CTC blog

We were a lucky 13 leaving Haywards Heath on 14 August. We began the day in West Sussex with a spin through the undulating High Weald and the less undulating Low Weald, ending the morning with a long climb to the top of the South Downs by the Devil’s Dyke. The pub on top of the hill is large and busy but the food is good and the views from the terrace are spectacular.

On the Devil's Dyke

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After the turbulence and tension of the previous few days in London, it was back to normal at Regent’s Park on Thursday. Theatre-goers were out in numbers, so deeming the Inner Circle too hazardous, we took to the Outer Circle. It was heavily trafficked with commuters and recreational cyclists, the latter both in groups and singly.

Picking up the pace, our group, riding quickly but as an orderly squad, was infiltrated by an over-excited fixster, his loose chain thrashing up and down. He must have been on the limit at well over evens as we approached the Zoo entrance, travelling counter-clockwise. When Jon, on the front, signed to ease up for the pelican crossing, our interloper, following Charlie and Jon, abruptly sat up and he came back in a heartbeat on to Damian behind him.

I was right behind Damian who braked to the max. more »

There are many versions of the classic London to Brighton run, ranging from the annual mass charity ride to more recent overnight Friday rides. But (as far as I’m aware) until now no organised event has offered the option to ride back to the capital.

Step forward audax organiser Paul Stewart, of the Willesden club, to fill this gap in the market. The ‘Ditchling Devil’, his 203 km (127 mile) event, was staged for the first time on Sunday 24 July. About 65 riders rolled up for the start on Wimbledon Common, a good turnout considering this had been a late addition to the Audax UK calendar.

After a surprisingly speedy run down to the start from north London – enjoying a deserted West End and empty Mall – I was ready to leave for the coast at 07.50, towards the end of the rolling one-hour start period. I set off in a group of six – or to be more precise, a tandem leading out and five wheelsucking solos. more »

We met at St Pancras on 24 July ready for our Sunday ride, but unfortunately the day did not begin well.

As normal we had left our bikes in a stack while we gossiped nearby and shopped for tickets and breakfast. When we came to move on we found we were one cycle short, the top bike having disappeared, a rather rusty substitute left close by. It seemed a passer-by had decided to trade in his bike for a better model without paying the difference.

The moral is that we need to immobilise our bikes whenever stopped in London, even if in the group and only waiting a few metres away. Most of leave our bikes unlocked at the station at the start of rides, so it could have been anyone of us left without our wheels. more »

The July Little Green Ride did not have a promising start. We had to leave from Stevenage, as morning trains to Knebworth weren’t running. This cost Edward £20, as he’d only bought a ticket as far as Knebworth. Then we got lost in the cyclepaths of Stevenage, less than 50 metres from the station, thanks to the spectacular incompetence of the leader (me). Mikal came to the rescue with the map application on his iPhone so with the combination of his 21st century technology and Tom’s 20th century OS map, we managed to escape to the country. In my own defence, I will say that the Stevenage cycle network has defeated better navigators than me.  more »

Nick and I decided to bunk off for the midweek West London Audax, second of four in the Willesden CC’s traditional summer programme.

The départ, as ever, is at Manor Farm, Ruislip, though event HQ has moved from the ramshackle hut in the car park to the pleasant tea-room in the adjacent park.

The route out of Ruislip threads through the outer suburbs to cross the Grand Union Canal just beyond Harefield and on towards the Chalfonts. As the Willesdens disappeared off up the road, Nick and I tooled along chatting about selling vintage bikes, refurbishing sash windows, and the likely fate of the euro.

Reading from the route sheet, Nick called a right turn (the wrong one as it happened) and my shout-out of ‘Gravel!’ was just too late. more »

Geoff, Angela and I claim the record for the furthest away from London day ride for Central London CTC. OK, it wasn’t an official one, but I did invite all likely contenders and Geoff proudly wore our jersey (see left).

Seriously, the aim was to show that with current high speeds it is possible to go well outside our normal stamping grounds and have a ride in scenery which is quite different from the Home Counties. After all, I reckoned, we used to get trains taking about an hour and a half and the trains to Lancaster are only just about two and a quarter hours. And for many of us Euston is just on our doorsteps (Geoff takes 12 minutes to ride there). Booking in advance means that cost is only just over £30 (including bike) although I left it late and ended up with a cost of some £70.

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On Sunday we cycled so far we ran out of road. Half a dozen of us set out from London Fields before 9am. Our plan was to reach the coast. This was a reprise of the ride I had led a few months ago when we had ridden out to Maldon. On that occasion we had managed a hint of the sea coming up the Blackwater Estuary and from our plates of fish and chips. This time we were hoping to get a little further … more »