Tom Bogdanowicz - Cycling London, 4th Edition: More than 40 great routs with detailed mapping

Published 2022 by Inkspire

The previous three editions of this book have been published under the title of London Cycling Guide

Inkspire is an imprint of Fox Chapel Publishing,
903 Square Street, Mount Joy, PA 17552 USA
www.FoxChapelPublishing.com .

Text 2010, 2011, 2016, 2022 Tom Bogdanowicz

Artworks 2010, 2011, 2016, 2022 Inkspire

All photographs Tom Bogdanowicz except Transport for London

All maps 2010, 2011, 2016, 2022 Inkspire, using base maps by OpenStreetMap licensed under CC-BY-SA, except maps on Transport for London

Tom Bogdanowicz has asserted his moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in any retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publishers and copyright holders.

Print ISBN 978-1-9136-1823-0

eISBN 978-1-9136-1824-7

One of the many attractive aspects of cycling is that you can do as little or as much as you like. You can choose where and when to ride and you can pick and choose who you ride with. You dont have to depend on gym opening times, bus timetables or petrol stations.

As a cyclist you can also take your pick from an enormous range of easy or challenging activities. Many people are unaware that there are active groups that play unicycle hockey, bicycle polo and off-road jumping. For the more relaxed, there are historical bike rides, architecture bike rides, visits to stately homes, repair workshops and night rides to watch the summer solstice. Youll find that there are free guided rides organized regularly by the London Cycling Campaign (LCC) and Cycling UK.

To supplement the maps in this book you can use online mapping to which LCC members and others have contributed:

london.cyclestreets.net

TfLs Journey planner tfl.gov.uk/plan-a-journey (select cycling)

@safecycleldn mostly segregated routes

Google maps select cycling option

On-line mapping can show you streets recommended by cyclists as having useful cycle lanes, less traffic or which are more convenient. Youll find that there are hundreds of little-known cycle cut-throughs that enable you to reach your destination more quickly and with less traffic.

If you already own a bike and it hasnt been out of the shed in a while, its worth taking it in for a service to make sure its roadworthy the 30 to 60 a service costs is money well spent. Remember that a poor quality bike can be hard work, so if you are planning to keep up your resolve to cycle more, consider buying the best you can afford. The alternative is to hire a bike. This is easier in central London than elsewhere, but many bike shops offer cycle rental so its worth asking (see ).

If you havent ridden a bike in a while, or even if you have, its worth investing in some cycle training in some boroughs you may find that Bikeability classes are subsidized. The section on cycling technique (see ) provides an introduction to confident riding in cities but there is no substitute for a one-on-one lesson. Even experienced riders can discover that instructors spot errors in their road riding.

This book will help you with buying decisions, but dont forget that your local cycle group will be pleased to help, whether you are a novice looking for a bike, a triathlete looking for people to train with, or a mountain biker looking for good trails. And if they dont know, they will know someone who does.

The freedom of riding a bicycle is a unique experience. When small children learn to ride they feel a sense of independence, the pleasure of the wind on their faces, and that extraordinary sensation of moving the pedals, gathering speed and overtaking mere mortals on foot. Its a pleasure that many adults rediscover when they take up cycling for health or for convenience. Some psychologists identify a sensation called free motion play that can be used to explain both the childs delight on a swing and an adults pleasure at riding a bike downhill or skiing.

Most cyclists ride bikes for the sheer enjoyment of it, but of course there are many more concrete benefits of getting on a cycle and pedalling for half an hour every day. For most of us it saves time and money as well as improves our fitness and contributes to our longevity. If someone were to invent a device that used no fuel, propelled you at 20 mph, improved your health, helped you lose weight, made you live longer, saved you money and got you to work faster they would surely be a celebrity, a Nobel Prize winner and a multi-millionaire.