Cobbled Classics

It's the beginning of the Classics Season - hard racing on cobbles - and it's good to see that Mark Cavendish and Ian Stannard did so well last weekend.  For those of you that don't want to go to Belgium, there is an alternative ...

Paul Kelly put me on to it - it's called the London Classic, and, as the name suggests, it's a London ride that takes in a lot of cobbled streets.  This year's event is full. Paul has an entry - I was too late - but he has been kind enough to give me a copy of the gpx of the route.  It being sunny this morning, but rather windy, I thought that a City ride rather than a country one would be just the ticket.

The route is an intricate one, and you need to keep a sharp eye on your GPS.  It starts and finishes at Crystal Palace, so there's a swoop down to start and a climb to finish; in between it's pretty flat, as central London is.

I took my Moulton, good for the City and, with full suspension, good for the cobbles too.  It's an excellent ride, not too busy, taking in lots of interesting byways and parts you would never normally visit.

There are 28 cobbled sections in all.  By comparison with Paris-Roubaix they are short and very well maintained.  With a sensible approach any bike can do it, and it's certainly not a race.  

Passing through some of the parts of the East End that have historically been the first stop for immigrants you get a clear idea of the continuing diversity of London.  The World lives here. You also get some fantastic cooking smells as you go along - no need to go hungry on this ride!

It's about 38 miles all in all; I left the route and made my own way back to London Bridge from Canary Wharf, as it was a less interesting bit and I stumbled upon a route that I know and like.  But a very good day out, and a useful ride for any time of the year, as it's much cleaner than the Surrey Hills!

Mark