IBikeLondon Love2Ride

If you were near Hyde Park Corner on Saturday morning, then you may have seen around 100 cyclists gathered in front of the Achilles statue for our IBikeLondon Love2Ride.

Among the group, we had some special guests: Simon lubricating our chains with his Green Oil ; Richard from Druid Cycles CIC with their bike sound system ; and Katie Ford, the youngest British female to officially finish the Race Across America, who had the honour of carrying the Olympic torch this summer through Camden. She joined the event bringing the torch along with her, giving people the opportunity to hold it and take photos with it.

11:30 already?  Time to start the ride! To warm up our group cycled around Hyde Park and then up to Horse Guards Parade. After saying hello to Big Ben, we crossed Westminster Bridge and gathered at Leake Street next to Waterloo.

Leake Street, also known as the ‘Banksy tunnel’, is a legal place for street artists to paint. French graffiti artist Zabou was commissioned by IBikeLondon to create a special piece for the ride.

Our next break took place at the Imperial War Museum where we enjoyed some hot coffee and tea. Richard’s music bike was filling the air with his collection of retro songs.

We then cycled through Elephant and Castle and paused in Bermondsey to see an old Soviet T34 Tank. Used in the film Richard III, it was bought in 1995 by Russell Gray and installed in its current location. Since then it has been regularly painted by many artists.

Next we cycled  through Burgess Park, Myatt’s Field Park and up to Brockwell Park. Hidden in a residential area, we were surprised to discover the Brixton Windmill which was built in 1816.

After going through Clapham Common, we cycled up to Battersea Park to admire the outstanding Peace Pagoda.

We crossed Albert Bridge and reached the Brompton Cemetery in Fulham. It is one of the finest Victorian Metropolitan cemeteries in the country, and a beautiful and quiet place to cycle through.

Around 4.30pm we finally arrived at the pub, the Builder’s Arms in Kensington. We had great food and a few pints, well deserved after a long and really nice day. See you all at the next ride!