I used to do this all lot, minus the crossing over the multiple bridges though. Yes, it does get busy and stop-start like some had pointed out, but go out early and it's absolutely breathtaking. Try the weekend at 6am, you'll love it. Also, if you're into gravelling, there is a stretch of the Thames Paths that starts on the west side of the southbound of Putney Bridge (i.e. Putney Embankment), it continues like that all the way to Kingston which I can vouch is an absolute beautiful ride with no traffic to worry about whatsoever. The only issue is, after Hammersmith Bridge but just before Barnes Bridge station, you'll have to get back on the road and rejoin the footpath after Kew Bridge. So if anyone has read this, has done it or wants to do it, get it done and thank me later.
Absolutely bang on. The Thames Path is fantastic, as is the Greenway and so many other great places to ride. Sure its not country lanes, but still spectacular.
@@gilescudmore7325 See Plus codes FQ8M+X7 London and FQCG+VJ London from Putney Embankment. Keep the River Thames on your right and you should be fine. Just West of Kew Bridge is where the scene of Ringo Starr attempting to take a 'selfie' from "A Hard Day's Night" was filmed.
I think these guys just make it feel so smooth and pleasant meanwhile in reality you would fear every car you pass by… anyway - really nice film, thanks Hank and Alek
When in a big city it's not like that... Cars can't travel as fast in the busy city stop/go roads, unless it's a highway mainroad (which you should not get into). The relative speed of vehicles are almost the same or just slightly faster than you that makes everything feels like slo-mo, so it's not that intimidating at all. Just treat yourself as another motorized vehicle, respect the car rules and car laws, and don't go too slow to block everyone, and you'll be fine.
It's not so bad once you are used to it. Plenty of routes which flow really well, and in places some good infrastructure now. Not perfect, but not the terror some make it out to be
Nice to see London not being slagged off and slated. Great place to ride. Sure there is some stop start on some routes, a bit of traffic to contend with etc, but still love doing big rides in London. Nice ones GCN 👍
I mean, we're the London Cycling Campaign so call us biased, but there are so many ace routes around London. The views are insane. Regent's Park is closed roads before 7am and has its own early morning cycling community for race laps. There's killer climbs like Swains Lane in Highgate. Richmond is obviously stunning. And lots of routes out into Kent and country lanes. And tiny brag, but our policy team's work has been instrumental to getting consecutive London mayors to commit to the game-changing properly separated bike lanes like the one along the river. More space for cycling = more epic rides around London like this one 👌
I support that! Just imagine such rides in Edinburgh, Dublin, Cambridge, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Hamburg, Paris, Barcelona, Copenhagen, Rome, Vienna etc. Ooof! So much stuff to see!
I love riding in London. Have commutes by bike there for over twenty years, always something new to see and, slowly but surely, the infrastructure is improving. The stretch from the Tower of London to Parliament along the embankment, all on a lively segregated bike Lane, is a real highlight
it's quicker than Public Transport, which to be fair in London is well above average, cost less and is more flexible. Wakes you up in the morning, and you get fitter, what's not 2 like.
i can confirm that i have done the Ipswich 100... and that's 100 miles within the towns boundaries. i rode around every estate and down most footpaths. 40 years in my town, and discovered so many nooks and crannies i was completely unaware of of... i even discovered a few shops! try it people
I ride London very often and all rides are epic. I love it when I go into the Tube and go down the elevator section. I can really get my intervals in when I go up that same elevator section. I can't get enough of Zwift!!
There's the difference that if a bunny hop over a speedbump fails, you're usually just going to get an unpleasantly hard shock on your handlebars (or perhaps a pinch flat at worst, if you run clinchers), but if you're trying to jump sideways over a kerb instead and fail, you're almost certainly going to crash. Had Alek crashed his jump at 13:27, the car behind him could easily have crashed into him next. Personally would never have dared to attempt such a jump, but his bike-handling skills are truly impressive; his jump at 4:23 is pretty cool as well!
I did the Tour de Stadia yesterday where you visit 10 football grounds in London. From QPR, Fulham, Chelsea, Palace, Millwall, West Ham, Leyton Orient, Spurs, Arsenal, Wembley and then finished at Brentford. Covered 100km and a nice way to keep things interesting throughout the ride.
Loved the video. I used to spend quite a bit of time in London years ago (and before I discovered cycling as a sport). Being a Dutchie, as soon as they came out I switched from public transport to the Boris bikes and I found out that everything in London is actually a lot closer to each other than you’d think. Cycling in London is different. I mean, one of my most vivid memories is riding Whitehall towards Trafalgar Square and looking over my shoulder to see three London busses side to side right behind me. That gets your adrenaline flowing. 😂
Alec is such an awesome guy. More of him - what he does with Tekkers is amazing, and his love of 2 wheels is infectious. It takes a certain rider to ride in big cities, but, when you get used to it you realize cities have their own charm that the country roads don't have. There's nothing like an early ride seeing the city wake up, or going through the big normally busy areas (around financial districts normally) and seeing it quiet.
Used to commute daily from Kings Cross to Chiswick - when I wanted to go further for training the options were there, even leaving early and going out to the Surrey hills on the way back
Been to London back in 2019. Big Ben was under repairs that time. As much as I love the city, it's the Cotswolds that can make me go back to the UK. The rolling hills are astounding.
What a great video, mates! Bringing good vibes with all the great shots, sun and music! Only sad thing: it was way too short. Please do more of it. Maybe even as a series: riding in cities.
I love this Richmond and Kingston Parks. That was my favourite routes in London 😍 and any time I visit this city I try to find the time to go there (not much time for busy as a bee hard working Polish boy 😁)
Even though I was brought up in and around Greater London particularly Kingston upon Thames as a kid/teen riding around London would scare the living daylights out of me however my eldest son lives in London, rides and loves it. I’ll stick to the Cambridgeshire/Lincolnshire fen roads thanks!
Another surprisingly great city for riding - Washington DC. You have Rock Creek Park in the city, Montgomery County in short riding distance for great country roads and Loudoun County nearby for gravel. Plus you can ride the C&O from DC all the way to Pittsburg car free.
@@davidadamus177 so far so good! Off leash dogs are my biggest fear. I’d honestly rather run into a bear. I’ve definitely heard of dogs being an issue in some areas though.
I love riding around in Brugge, not the center but just outside of it, with my gravel bike i can go through the woods, also they have really nice infrastructure where you barely come across with cars, wide and well maintained bike lanes where you can ride at your max and only have to watch out for people riding in front of you.
Fab - the key to best experience London on a bike leave early like I did today ( Sunday) 6.30am the sun rising it’s better than anything …. you have the whole city to yourself from Richmond Park to Woolwich - take in the câble car and if you throw in a random segment smash it makes it all the more fun.
Since 3/4 of my heritage comes from England, Ireland and Scotland it behooves me to come visit ( if you will have me). GCN and Hank, Manon and Connor, especially, really demonstrate how beautiful the Isles are in all seasons.
The 18 km (each way) commute to university I do in Berlin is about as much city riding as I can stand. With the condition of the bike lanes, density of riders on the bike lanes and other traffic around, it's excellent bike handling training... I prefer it over taking the train, which takes pretty much the same amount of time, but if I want to go for an enjoyable ride, I'll leave the city.
I feel very lucky living in Calgary, Canada now - hundreds of km of connected pathways where you don't have to worry about cars and you spend a lot of it passing through gorgeous parks and viewing wildlife like deer. Cycling in London just looks stressful and unpleasant.
Mentioned Kent and Surrey, but there's some absolutely spectacular lanes to be experienced in Essex as well! Epping Forest right on the doorstep of London! Hasn't got some of the climbs of Kent or Surrey, but Essex is beautiful for a day's cycling and only a few miles away!
Love riding round cities, channeling my inner Danny MacAskill. Hopping kerbs, jumping speed bumps and generally jibbing about. Not so easy in a less cycle-friendly city though!
When this girl from Winnipeg Canada goes the London, every ride will be a Epic ride 😀 as long as I remember what side of the road to bike on 🤣🤣 2 more months ✈
Super video! Great romp! Cheers to Alec and Hank for such great fun seeking attitude! Love this content! Great to see the bridges of London! I think it would be great todo a fun ride around Prague! Can't wait for the next one!
Bit of a missed opportunity, just going East to West. A lot of people who've never lived in London think it's almost completely flat, as they arrive at Kings Cross or Euston and stay in the central area. To the North and South it's a lot more hilly, with some short but pretty sharp climbs. A ride in Highgate in the North, or into the North Downs in the South would have been good to see. It would have been fun to see them try Succombs Hill in Warlingham (a suburb to the South of London) - a 600m climb which maxes out at 25%
The question is: how long can you do a cycle ride 1) without any traffic lights 2) using only cycle lanes 3) do not use the same road/cycle lanes twice 4) must be all within a city (or chain of cities, without country roads)
Central London has a lot of cycle routes now, they can get you through with lane separated around most of the area. You do have more Cycle Traffic light filters, so they allow Bikes to go before Cars, maybe 20 secs.
An experienced cabbie can get you through the city with very few lights, and that's with a car. With experience you can find similar routes for bikes. The (route formerly known as the) Q5 is a great example, with only two lights between the Imperial War Museum and Clapham Common (not including the ones marking each end).
@@pkomarek Well, London in the past was absolutely dreaful with regards to bike paths. But in the last few decades they have improved by a lot. Still, from what I can see, only in the parks are bike/walk paths. When the park ends, those bike paths end. Some roads have a bike gutter, basically still occupied by cars busses and lorries. And th next thing is that those raods almost always collide with another road with traffic lights. Compare this with many Dutch cities, where bike lanes are often separated from the roads, sometimes specific bike tunnels, and often dead end roads for cars, but bikes can go through. I don't know of any place in London where a road is blocked at an end, or in the middle, where bikes still can go through. Then of course strategic bumps in the road so that speeding cars are punished, the faster the more their car shakes all over the place, till the car breaks, or the rider breaks. I don't see that in the UK, I do see that a lot in the Netherlands. Also bike lanes together somehow form a network where you can go from one end of the city to the other, rarely together with a car/bus/truck. And so often even without traffic lights, using tunnels, over passes and the like. All of this means cyclists are a main way to travel and taken seriously.
@@Aragorn.Strider I doubt London is ready to compete with Dutch cities. I do see all of the features you mention. For an example of a segregated bike paths the CS7 (which includes Blackfriars bridge) has a long section like that, and it's not in a park or even close to one. I think you were also describing "mode filters" that allow only some modes of transport to pass, and there are many of those around in various forms - for example the C3 has multiple. The Q15 is one of many routes that makes use of a contraflow bike lane (unprotected) to give cyclists additional options that cars don't have, beyond just using mode filters.
As a lightweight London cyclist myself this looked fun. However the section at 13:39 shows what a lot of my "cycle infrastucture" is like .. a painted strip barely wider than the drains with all the detritus from the gutters . That bike lane is only marginally wider than the double red lines at the side of the road. I rarely get into central London and make do with lanes like that out in the suburbs. it would be safer without that "lane" as some drivers expect us to cycle in it rather than cycle in "their lane" all in all though a fab video and I liked the look of that Putney cafe !!
That's a great video of my home town and loved burning round the city on my bike, Now live in South Yorkshire and my rides now consists of steep hills up and down rolling countryside and my heart rate is always sky high :) great vid again GCN
An Alpecin-Fenix rider riding a Pinarello with Roval wheels, no sign of Canyon. Would be interested to hear what bikes the pros prefer, other than their team-sponsored ones.
7:00 anyone else noticed this is a repeated clip already shown at the 4:51 mark? :-D (Brompron Electric guy must be chuffed, featured twice!) Loving this video, love GCN!
A better epic ride of Richmond Park is doing a few laps and then going to use the bathrooms. Once you've come out and accepted that your bike has been stolen, you can start the long walk home.
Love this! Proof that if you find the right roads, an epic city ride is possible! I would just say for safety’s sake, ride with at least one other person. Great video, and love the energy you guys have in it!
I tried the route, it was nice but not quite satisfying as there is some parts riding just next to the river thames on gravel and muddy land. Those parts were not suitable for roadbikes at all and really dangerous as there is hardly any protection along the river . I had to be very careful and slow. there are also several bridges that requires carrying the bike on shoulders to get on. Anyway, it's far not a perfect ride but still worth paying a shot. thanks Hank and GCN.
For any James-Bond fan: Timestamp-6:37-to-Timestamp-6:57: That's the [real/actual] MI6 building on the left (ie. To be as specific as possible: the left side of the screen / recorded video-footage).
I've been living in London for 2 years now, as someone who used to be an avid and committed cyclist I have to admit that London is easily the worst place I've ridden a bike. Riding in London is a novelty and nothing more, I'll admit I get a buzz riding along the river and see all of the landmarks but realistically if you want some proper riding, you are 30-40mins (depending where you live) of busy busy roads until you can get somewhere with great lanes.
City ride is good fun as you have to be aware of so many things. Any premier league fans out there, cycling to all the premier league football clubs is a fun one 😄
I was a cycle courier in London in the mid/late 90's right up until I got knocked off & broken my neck. Thankfully I've made a full recovery and now cycling in Spain.
Finally in a big city... Have done all my "cycling" cycling in Beijing, always curious about how is it possible as every cycling training tips says, "keep your effort steady and don't stop pedaling". How is that even possible??? You just keep pedaling even though you know it's a red light ahead??? You don't cruise even if you have a slow moving bike/trike/ped/car ahead??? And you don't accelerate quick when you come off a stop/cruise??? How is it possible for you guys to do a precise 4 minute interval without have to slow down or stop??? Where do you find such perfect roads??? Until very late when I realized that most of you guys "cyclist" don't have such problem... You guys live in beautiful countryside with quiet stretch of roads/paths/trails... City ride is different but can be as effective even for training, you do intervals between traffic lights, not to the precise time. You sprint on the uphill section of the big inter-conjunction/overpass/underpass bridges and hit your max power output. You flow with the traffic, treat yourself as a car and try to match car speed if you are not in the bike lane... you find the right speed car/ev/e-scooter/trike to draft... you look over them to scan the road to see if there anything they can ride over with the big spring but you can't... In my experience fast city ride has its highs of preserving the dynamic and explosive nature of cycling, which is tend to be lost if all you do is steady training. It's a race kind of effort to a extent, made of a lot of explosive effort with cruise/easy in between. It's fun, it's thrilling... It's the nature of cycling. But to admit, if you want to take your fitness to next level, you have to leave the city to the mountains, to do harder and longer effort... Luckily I have a reasonablily easy access to the mountains with about 1 hour 25km city ride. Now I treat the pre 25km as a warm up and post 25km as a cool down (though always turns out to become a lot of sprint to get home).
I cycled to London (and back) for Ride London and the difference in support for cycling is night and day; the wife was horrified at the thought of blasting around London due to the traffic but it was the polar opposite of the likes of Reading and Ascot, which seem like crazy places compared to infrastructure in London. I've never felt safer (even if there is still a way to go), weird.
We did an epic 48 mile ride from Greenwich, across in the cable car, along Embankment to Parliament and Buckingham Palace, then out to Hampton Court and back to Herne Hill. It was a fantastic day 🚴♀️🚴
As a deep Surrey boy, I try to do 1 or 2 Sundays through the London parks each year. Was fantastic in lockdown but now the traffic makes it tedious, especially getting there through the inner/outer suburbs and bridge pinchpoints. Eventually all the red lights and constant unclipping every 100yds wears me down. Emily Chappell's ''What Goes Around'' is a wonderful description of life as a London cycle courier - good foundation for her Transcontinental race epic. PS what is it with these guys talking kms? London is not in Europe and signs/speed limits were resolutely in miles when I last looked. Is it just people seeking to exaggerate their mileage? Or some Remoaner conspiracy?
I was thinking about buying a bike, and trying it out. I was wandering will I need to get arm reduction surgery?? Or will they shrink naturally?? Thanks keepemcoming
Ya’ll didn’t use the dedicated bike lanes. Cities being “cycling friendly” isn’t about sport or road bikes, it’s about making cycling safe for your everyday person on a grandma bike.
They used a few and even managed the motorbike challenge. For example in Blackfriars bridge (well, one of them did) and along the Embankment. There were a couple other brief clips on smaller bike lanes too
Great video! But I have a challenge… can Hank do a GCN video, without a single sprint? It can’t be done! Nah…yeah, nice video mate. I’m moving to Sevenoaks soon and the city will be well within reach!
Makes me want to explore Anaheim. Only 3ish million people in Orange County, no HUGE cities, but y'all made exploring the possibility of an epic ride look fun. Thanks
