South Riding 1 - The Begining

The Ridings are my physical challenge for the year. In three cycling tours I plan to visit all the places I have lived. The South Riding covers London and south of the river, North Riding extends to Farndon near Chester, and includes Birmingham, whilst the East Riding is a loop of Colchester, Cambridge and Nottingham.


8 o'clock in the morning and I was feeling quite apprehensive about actually starting the ride. Although I have regularly cycled through my life I have never toured or even gone on a very long ride (The most I have done in a day is about 35 miles and recently I have not been cycling that frequently, perhaps about once a week). I would thus be going into the unknown without much preparation. Lack of endurance would emerge later but there was a more immediate problem - I did't really know where I was going.

That last sentence sounds plain daft because heading off without a clue would be bizarre but there is a world of difference between knowing the destination and knowing the route. I knew once I crossed the river I would be OK because I know how places relate to each other but my sense of North West London is vague and I had to ride through it.

I had been to theTransport for London site for a cycle route but it is broken down into short sections and I know I could not keep it all in my head. So I fixed a few key places in my mind and looked hard at the map to remember the shapes and hoped that will get me through

10 minutes later and I was even more concerned as I had a puncture. A shard of metal had worked its way into my rear tyre - bugger! "This is not well omened" I thought "perhaps I should just cut some slack and take the train to Euston, where I would know my way." Oh the temptations you have when you stopped beside the road struggling with a tight tyre.

On the other hand a couple of miles is too short a distance to start changing plans and still retain some honour. So onwards I went.

It was strange to be cycling with full panniers - my whole rhythm changed: I went more steadily, in a lower gear, with the main concern: conserving energy. It was all very pleasant to begin with as the roads were not too crowded and I felt strong and as I looked around I started singing to myself. "Perhaps the day would be alright after all!" In fact the first half was trouble free, even the Hanger Lane gyratory system (because you can cycle through the middle of it). Traffic only got miserably snarled in Chiswick and around Hammersmith but even then there were odd patches of pleasure as I whizzed along the bus lane past stationary and frustrated car drivers.

My route took me over Putney Bridge (chosen because I always like to tip my hat to the site of the Putney Debates and remember the tradition of English radical thought. Any church that carries the inscription "I think that the poorest he that is in England hath a life to live, as the greatest he" should be saluted) and past Wimbledon Common. I would be passing the residences of some of the greater he before the houses of the poorer he.

I stopped for lunch in Wimbledon Village and sat at the table opposite was an oriental looking man, napping. I was tremendously impressed by the way he was sitting upright but obviously asleep (I ruled out meditation because his head lulled a bit and when he woke up he did so with a start). "I wish I could do that" I thought - have complete rest and recovery on my stops as well as refuelling.

After that it was a straightforward ride into Colliers Wood. A place easy to spot from a distance because it has one of the ugliest tower buildings in the whole of London (and that is a fierce competition).