I have to spend several weeks in London (staying in the City) and will be desperate to find some nearby training roads. I’ll even do lots of loops if I have to, but I’d rather not get killed by lorries and double decker buses.
Any ideas on where to get some miles in would be most welcome and appreciated.
Laps at Richmond Park during weekday evenings. You have late sunsets and it is a quiet during the week. The weekend gets crazy crowded so best to find group rides.
thanks mate
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Depends on how much time you have, but from the city it’s a heckuva long way to Richmond park. Lots of folks used to do laps of Regent’s Park, which is a lot closer. There’s also a loop around City Airport, which is ugly but ok. I found it on the London Dynamo site years ago–if you can’t find it, pm me and I’ll describe it.
just found Dynamo - great link, thanks!
Richmond seems like the best bet for steady interval training, Google tells me its about 10 miles from the City. Which would be fine, if I didn’t know London a little, which is to say, how bad is the to/from route, is it dodging trucks and cabs the entire way, or can you actually kind of ride from central London to Richmond Park?
I think it depends on the time of day, but I seem to remember about 45 minutes from Russell Square to Richmond? (I live in Cornwall now). I wouldn’t be surprised if it took an hour. Like I said, it depends on the time of day. I know I used to think it wasn’t worth it if I wasn’t going to be out for 3 hours.
OTOH I just read about a bike gym in Soho that has parking for bikes and also indoor training. If you don’t have a ton of time, that might be your best bet for intervals.
just remember to look the wrong way when crossing the street. I think most streets in London have a painted reminder on the crosswalk.
Actually, it is worth saying that if you’re coming from the US, the style of driving is pretty different beyond the simple L/R, and it might be hard to ride hard in the city before you get used to it.
That’s why I like Richmond Park coming from the U.S. Once you are inside the park, it is fairly low traffic, other cyclists to chase and don’t worry about crossing traffic. Right now you have sunset after 9pm so enough daylight in the evening to make it worthwhile. Besides its nice to see the deer and antelope.
I stay in Belgravia when in London. I just ride down Kensington High Street, hang a left at Hammersmith and once across the river, it is much easier to ride. The area around Hammersmith is existentially gridlocked, so you must exercise some caution passing cars.
Buses and trucks are the most dangerous. Heck, after one ride, you may just decide to go to a pub and be a lager lout with the rest of the locals.
If the OP can stay there, he’ll be on happy street. It doesn’t sound like that’s an option.
If you can get to Regents Park before 7am the outer circle road is closed to cars. So it’s a good 5km loops. Its at the end of my street so i spend lots of time there and the best way to go is anticlockwise so there’s no lane crossing required. On weekends if youre riding before around 9 the traffic isn’t to bad. Its also ok later in the day if you don’t have 45 minutes to get out to Richmond park and dont want to be stuck on the trainer. Richmond is fantastic if you have time though and want a long ride. If youre looking for hills there are a couple near hampstead heath that i use when I need some quick hill repeats. There is also a dedicated circuit for races at hog hill but it’s a bit further out on the east side.
If the OP can stay there, he’ll be on happy street. It doesn’t sound like that’s an option.
Just got off the phone w/ the ‘global mobility team’ (don’t you love corporate speak?). They can put me up in Mayfair, or at least close, somewhere around there, right off the Jubilee line.
I haven’t been in London in a few years, but my sense is that that will be workable for both Regents and Richmond? Will I be on happy street?!
And a big shout-out and thanks to all the respondents - just immensely helpful.
Mayfair is a neighborhood and a hotel name. Both are good. If you stay at The May Fair, you should be a happy camper. You can also go for nice runs in Hyde Park. I hope they have Eurosport so you can watch the TdF.
I may be there end of July. If I am, I will try to organize a ride London to Brighton. Crossing the Devil’s Dyke and cruising down into Brighton is a nice way to spend a morning on the weekend.
From Mayfair you can get out to Richmond pretty easily, and I would try to get out on the weekends into Surrey County (out to Boxhill) or west out to Windsor. Both rides are good and different with some good hills on the Boxhill ride and some fast open stretches out to Windsor and you can ride through Great Windsor Park on the way out and back. PM if you want to link up with some riders who do those rides.
Cheers!
Where exactly are you going to be working??
Particularly as it’s summer, I’d consider staying outside London, but in a hotel right next to a fast mainline station connected to the terminus nearest your office… with a bit of a following wind you could be out of your office and on your bike in the real countryside in 60mins… maybe somewhere like Maidenhead, Woking, Bishops Stortford, High Wycombe, Hertford… depending on which London station is nearest to your office.
You’ll also find lots of weekday evening Club TTs. And there are even weeknight Tris at Dorney Lake near Windsor.
Or you could base yourself in Richmond, so you could even get morning rides in… (although I find cycling there just frustrating, as the speed limit is 20mph, so when it’s open to traffic, you spend most of your time stuck behind cars.)
Final thought… I’d always try and seek out a serviced apartment rather than a hotel…that way you can have your own food rather than putting on the pounds due to restuarant/hotel meals.
Yessir, well aware of May Fair vs Mayfair. I will be staying a serviced apartment in or around Mayfair-the-neighborhood. I’ll have to check their cable TV access! I’d love to join the Brighton ride if it happens…
Thanks, Jack! I’ll hit you on the PM, see if I can get linked up w/ some of the other riders. I know there is great riding, and weekends will be easy (I can use trains or whatever), it’s the weekday evenings and/or early mornings, I’m just concerned about access from my apartment in Mayfair to Richmond or wherever… anyway - your inbox. With thanks.
Hey Tim - another thanks to another Londoner w/ a hand for an expat Yank!
I kind of need to stay in Mayfair itself, as that is where the offices are, I need ready access, and that is where their ‘relocation’ department puts up sods like me. So unfortunately, all my weekday rides are going to require a very efficient train routing, which seems a bit tricky within the time constraints, or will have me riding from my apartment to Richmond or wherever - this, per my previous responses, is the root of my angst.
I’ll hit on the PM, if you don’t mind, and get your thoughts on the weeknight TTs and such.
Thanks man!