Ride 100 Freecycle

[stu9000]

Hi all
I did a quick search but have not come across a thread specifically about the Sat 9 August Freecycle event that precedes the big one we are all talking about on Sunday.

I have three kids and a supportive but not particularly bike experienced wife that will be coming.
My kids are 2 years, 7 years and 9 years old. My middle one is a bit ambivalent about bikes and my youngest hasnt cracked it so will probably be on the back of mine.

Coming in by train to Waterloo I am hoping that juggling kids and multiple bikes wont be an issue.
Over Waterloo bridge and I assume we can join the course at any point and leave at any point.

I'm really hoping the kids will get the bug from this and that it will lead to requests for a nice bike for Xmas and so on.

My plan is to keep it really simple but get there early ish. I might just end up going from Waterloo to the Festival Zone at Green Park, lock the bikes up and enjoy the events and a bite to eat before heading home. But maybe the kids get the bit between their teeth and want to cycle across to some of the other Festival Zones before heading home. I figure if I keep it flexible and don't push things too hard then everyone will have fun.

Big day for me on Sunday so I don't want to get too frazzled!

Any suggestions about travelling by train or things we should do while we are there?

 

[laurence]

i'd go over westminster bridge - waterloo goes over the route and will be open to traffic, westminster will be closed to traffic and joins the route under big ben.

there are lots of activites in the City this year with different festival zones. the area around green and st james' parks can be very busy.

there's a women's crit race at 5pm, so there is a chance of seeing some of the top names as they warm up, probably on horseguards.

last year it was very busy, but good fun. away from the parks there is more chance to stretch your legs and actually ride. it quietens down towards the end as well, the busiest period is midday to mid afternoon - you get some boy racers there early trying to speed around the closed roads.

you can come and go as you please and a lot of the side roads are closed as well, so you may be able to pootle off to a coffee shop/cafe just off the route. i can't remember much about the stalls, etc last year, but there was a lot going on and it almost seemed a shame to be riding past all the activities!

 

[stu9000]

Thanks for the useful tips