So I decided I would go on the Midsummer Madness ride. To make things
more entertaining I cycled to the start at Greenwich, from home in
Crawley.
Start time was 02:00, so with a poor weather forecast I set off at
about 22:20. Multimap reckoned the shortest distance was about 30
miles, but I wanted to allow for getting lost, p*nct*r*s, chavs ect
ect.
There was a brisk tail wind ^W^W^W^W I was going really well, and as
NCN21 runs by my door all the way to Greenwich I thought I'd see
exactly how [censored] poor it was. I know where the first few miles go,
but practiced looking out for the A5 sized waymarkers. I was soon
into uncharted territory north of Redhill, on a farm track, overgrown
by nettles and almost invisible signing. I decided that using well
marked things like the A23 would be a better plan.
With the wind still helping I was up in Croydon, trying to recollect
how all those places in Sarf Lunnon interconnect. Crystal Palace
seemed a good plan followed by an earpopping descent to Sydenham.
After that it got a bit confusing -no sun to navigate by at night and
cloud covering the pole star. And then there was Lewisham, with a sign
for Greenwich. Hurrah.
As a celebration I stopped at Mr. Tesco's Emporium for PIE and
CHOCOLATE, followed by a leak. In a manner completely unknown to
Simon Mason, the nice security guard told me to wheel my bike into the
shop and lean it where he could see it.
01:00 saw me at the Cutty Sark, alone. Bugger, had I got the right
night? But crowds soon appeared and by 02:00 there were 40 or so
miscellaneous cyclists heading for London Bridge to meet more.
Onwards to the West End and coffee or standing about outside Caffe
Italia in Soho. A pink bike, lycra shorts and Old Compton Street.
Hmm.
Puzzlement as people ask "are you doing a marathon?" Well, no, cos
we'd be cheating.
Much tittering as a huge Italian motorbike revved up with macho
exhaust gurgling and stalled at the lights.
We depart and cut through Soho to a closed Oxford Street, weave our
way though the cones and up Portland Place.
And then it was around early o'clock and we were on top of Primrose
Hill. Cloudy. Windy. Cold. No druids. And then it rained, so I
sheltered under a tree and chatted with Edmonton Cyclists.
At 05:00 it was decided to ride onto brekko at The Globe. Whizzing
down through the now light streets in a peloton, excellent. And we
stopped for the red lights.
Breakfast was bacon rolls, croissants and coffee. They know how to
charge - 3 quid for a bacon roll!
I decided it was time to ride home and tried to follow one of the
London Cycle Network routes. Sign posting was much better, but it was
so twisty that I gave up. And then found it again. And lost it. And
went south down the A23, getting home at 0945. And slept until midday.
A few phots at
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/timintheshed/sets/72157594173211339/>
Tim