Today is the last official day of 2020 Wayfarer cycling, so time to review rides I should have done during the past year. Top of the list was Dave Bartholomew’s London Ride, scheduled for 18th March but cancelled as definitely High Risk.
Forecast today was cold but dry with a hint of sun. I confess this morning in the cold dark I was willing to postpone until spring 2021, but somehow I had persuaded Paul James that this ride was a Good Idea, so there was no going back.
Paul had already ridden 8 freezing miles by the time we met at Wimbledon Station, and bravely declined to offer of hot coffee in favour of an immediate start and a brisk ride up Victoria Drive to Tibbets Corner. However, all that warmth was lost on the descent to Putney Bridge. We picked up Dave’s route at Hammersmith Bridge, following its ingenious intricacies as far as Kensington Gardens. This part of the route would be familiar to anyone who has done the London Sightseer Audax.
On this section we passed by chance the house where my late Mum had lived during WW2 (she would have reached 101 years today) and had a sobering view of Grenfell Tower. Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park were busy but not uncomfortable, and we paused in Trafalgar Square, absent tourists, but now with a bit of sun to help the mood.
Strand, Fleet St, St Pauls and the City were near deserted, with almost no traffic to hamper progress. Either my brain or the Garmin did not cope well with the intricate route round Fenchurch St, but once spotted Tower Bridge is unmistakeable.
On London rides the current priority is (1) avoiding crowds (2) finding toilets and (3) finding a coffee stop without freezing in a queue. We were successful in finding Liverpool St Station whose near monastic calm precincts fulfilled all such needs.
In Borough Market there were crowds seemingly unaware there was a national emergency. Don’t stop, put your head down and pedal, which worked just fine until a near death experience with a reversing van reminded me that Covid was not the only hazard to avoid.
After, the ride was thankfully uneventful; the South Bank, normally teeming was closed and deserted. We passed Parliament Square unaware or what new “measures” were just then being announced for us to observe.
Officially Dave’s route ends at Wimbledon Windmill café, but that’s in my personal red zone of crowded places to avoid. It made more sense for Paul and me to part on Clapham Common which was not uncomfortably busy.
Arriving home I was relieved to hear that riding in pairs was still permissible, even though groups of 6 remain a distant goal.
Thanks to Paul for the company, and Dave for the route; highly recommended if you can find a quiet day. And wishing all Wayfarers a healthy and happy New Year
1 comment:
Inspired by Dave's write-up I picked up the route off Strava and rode it today. It was a very enjoyable ride, mainly on eerily quiet roads. Highly recommended.
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