Today's London freeride...

[stoatsngroats]

We joined a led ride from Merton to St James's Park today, and rode around during some really fantastic weather, enjoying the sights. The Led ride was managed by a chap called Paul from West london, and he made those who were being led, including a couple of children, one aged about 7, feel safe joining the traffic along Ebury Road, and into the park. it was really well done. The return was brilliant too, and all-in-all allowed many people to take part in this great event. I am pretty confident on open roads, but my OH is far less confident - after todays group ride, she has said that she wants to do similar things again...!
So, thanks Paul, for your guidance with this group, it really made an enjoyable day for the group, and will no doubt allow me to have the pleasure of more frequent group rides, with my OH coming along too. I just to have convince her that she will improve much more, if she actually gets a Bianchi, rather than admiring them being ridden by others...

 

[Ian193]

We did the freecycle today got the train to fenchurch street and rode along the embankment cyclepath towards green park then joined the route and did a lap before it got too busy. I liked the one way system in use this year it meant you could actually get moving unlike last year

 

[mjr]

Yes, the route seemed to flow much better this year, although we did try to time it so we weren't at Green Park at lunchtime this year.

And yes, Bianchis are niiice.

 

[RedRider]

It was great to see the kids and all out today. Such a good event.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Yes, loads of kids out, quite a few scarcely off their balance bikes with nearby parents helping them along. Nice to see and be amongst.

I heard a figure of 60,000 people freecyclers on the BBC during the coverage of the Classique. An impressive figure on its own but when you think that many have cycled in from the suburbs it's even more impressive, feeder ride leaders and marshalls included.

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

I worked this year's event on the Doctor Bike stand at St Pauls.
Very busy and great to see so many families out with their children enjoying the ride.
Just quite worrying the amount of people that pull their bikes out of the shed and just come on the ride without doing any checks whatsoever not even tyre pressures. Lost count of the number that showed up at the stand abd asked to have their tyres pumped up.
And quite horrendous how many people need to replace cables - rusted, frayed and sticking.
The ones that turn up saying that they have just had the bike back from their LBS or Ha**ords and the range of issues that they presented with was astonishing - even one guy whose new chain was several links too long and his claim that he had collected it from Ha**ords just yesterday. Still sorted that one out, along with a huge amount of gears that had to be adjusted and indexed.
All in all it was a fun day and I will consider doing it again next year. Would take some additional tools with me next time though.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

All in all it was a fun day and I will consider doing it again next year. Would take some additional tools with me next time though.

It seems like quite a few tools came to you anyway! Well done anyway. I didn't notice a Dr Bike by St Pauls.

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

It seems like quite a few tools came to you anyway! Well done anyway. I didn't notice a Dr Bike by St Pauls.

It was in New Change right outside the Boots shop, next to the secure bike parking area and the water refill station.

 

[clid61]

All for it, but what a fookin joke all those mamils being sooooo serious

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

The worst offenders that I saw in the morning were a bunch of young lads on single speeds treating the whole thing like a slalom and going for gaps which left no margin for error should a child have the slightest of wobbles.

 

[mjr]

I loved the youngsters on BMXs that were high fiving the marshals as they went round

 

[Dave the Smeghead]

All for it, but what a fookin joke all those mamils being sooooo serious

But so many of them do take it so seriously even on the commute. So many ride on the cycle highways like they are in the peloton of the TdF. And woe betide anyone that stops at a red light - can be like taking your life in your hands.

 

[mjr]

And woe betide anyone that stops at a red light - can be like taking your life in your hands.

Not really, but I was surprised that even on Saturday and Sunday, with so many TV cameras on cycling in London, sooooo many were still jumping red lights (and I don't mean on the roads closed for the event). What's with that? Has RLJing just become completely habitual to them?

That said, I was surprised that many traffic lights (edit: in London) seemed to spend very little time on amber and some were impossible to see from sitting on a bicycle at the stop line - at which point I almost feel that I should continue when it looks safe because otherwise I'm guessing when it changes or waiting for the cars to rev up.

Did anyone see the freeride loop come to a standstill at any point this year?

 

[srw]

But so many of them do take it so seriously even on the commute. So many ride on the cycle highways like they are in the peloton of the TdF. And woe betide anyone that stops at a red light - can be like taking your life in your hands.

Not my experience at all.

Most people follow the rules of the road, and even those few who don't respect those of us who do.

 

[Ian193]

Not really, but I was surprised that even on Saturday and Sunday, with so many TV cameras on cycling in London, sooooo many were still jumping red lights (and I don't mean on the roads closed for the event). What's with that? Has RLJing just become completely habitual to them?

That said, I was surprised that many traffic lights (edit: in London) seemed to spend very little time on amber and some were impossible to see from sitting on a bicycle at the stop line - at which point I almost feel that I should continue when it looks safe because otherwise I'm guessing when it changes or waiting for the cars to rev up.

Did anyone see the freeride loop come to a standstill at any point this year?

I didn't have to stop other than for people to cross the roads and thought the "one" way system worked really well