I'm switching back to missing posts from earlier in the year.
#1. London Nightrider - 100km Ride (for the National Autistic Society)
The idea of cycling around London in a big circle through the early hours of a Sunday morning was really appealing. I have always loved cycling at night and this just seemed like one of those cycling events that had to be done.
Some areas of London such as the approaches to Alexandra Palace and lanes around Hampstead were quiet at 4am but many places we rode through proved that London never sleeps. If folk weren't spilling out of late night lock-ins they were queueing to get into clubs. Plenty of entertainment on offer as inebriated young women staggered and slipped on big heels and young lads too tanked up to take offence cheered us on!
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| Start - Crystal Palace |
I couldn't find my Charity's tent at all at the starting point in Crystal Palace so I just got ready to depart at the allotted time of 00.30.
Not far out we crossed Blackheath. Against the darker open space a lit up All Saints church looked eerie at one in the morning.
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| Tower Bridge |
The whole event was notable for a real sense of camaraderie between hundreds of participating riders.
At the time we stopped for the first drinks station near Tower Bridge you could taste the sense of a shared passion, Here I got talking to two Irish girls who were doing the whole ride on an ageing steel framed Tandem. Bless!
Though my friend Ruth and I started at different time slots (different charities) we did eventually catch up with each other at Ally Pally and, the other start and finish point for those riding from North London.
The view East and South showed that dawn was about to break.
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Looking east from Alexandra Palace
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Leaving Ally Pally with the coming daylight
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After a five minute stop to re-fuel and take some pics I was off towards Highgate and Hampstead.
A couple of tough climbs then past Spaniards Inn, a pub I cycled to last Summer with the GMV boys
Coming down past Regent's Park and into the West End early on a Sunday morning seemed really strange but most areas were still busier. The exception was Covent Garden where nothing stirred but Nightriders!
We wheeled around various parts of central London as the day got under way. Highlights here were the various bridge crossings: Southwark, Westminster and Battersea bridges.
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| Seat of Power |
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| London Eye |
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Streatham - nearly there.
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| Ruth & I - back at Crystal Palace......time for breakfast and the drive home |
