If you’ve given me a like on Facebook, you’ll have seen that over the weekend I went out on my first group ride. It was organised by lululemon athletica Covent Garden showroom here in London and was a route planned to showcase some of the sights of London.
And here is one…Buckingham Palace.
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| Cycling up towards the palace |
All in all, the ride totalled Just under 17km.
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| our route |
But cycling in a group on the streets of London provided us with an edge, a confidence…safety in numbers. And after being made aware that it is perfectly legal for cyclists to cycle two abreast I made the most of it to allow myself to chat to fellow riders.
I must say, that on this morning, the traffic lights were a welcome rest every now and again!
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| at the lights |
Me being me, at some points, missed the sights as I was concentrating hard on keeping up with the group. I’ve only been cycle commuting the last few weeks and have been pedalling at such a moderate pace!
This thing below was around the Marble Arch area of London! I must look that up! It reminded me a bit of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. We cycled right across to it, under and through, where we were met with lots of pedestrians and police patrolling on horse back.
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| a sight 🙂 |
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| police |
We then came into a park and pass the Serpentine River. The sun was shining, the air was chilly but the view was amazing. For all the 21 years I have lived in London, I’d never been to this part of town before!
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| awesome view |
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| on bike selfie with Alice |
Alice and I got chatting as we rode around Regents Park and with all the traffic lights we got separated from the rest of the gang who were ahead. We cycled, and cycled and cycled then came to the conclusion that we had lost them and should make our way back to the showroom. Luckily though, we spotted them busy fixing a puncture. Another opportunity for a quick rest before the last few kilometres of our journey.
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| Adrian trying to complete in the 5 minute rule |
Adrian, our tour guide for the morning told us that on club rides if someone gets a puncture they have 5 minutes to fix it or they get left behind!! I certainly won’t be club cycling anytime soon! If I get a puncture you will find me on the side of the road crying! …I MUST get to a workshop and / or do some reading!
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| back on our bikes! |
And then we were off again! Back to the showroom…somewhat behind schedule to get ourselves into downward dog and stretch it out in the complimentary yoga session geared towards cyclists and runners on this particular day!
I didn’t do the yoga at lulu after the ride but I did do a yoga class later on in the day! It wasn’t easy after all the cycling (and class yday!) but it certainly helped loosen me up, stretch me out and strengthen my body!
The ride was a great way to spend my morning (although somewhat fast for my commuter legs!) but I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Do you get out and cycle on the weekends?! Have you been out on a group ride before?!
And how beautiful is London?! …get out and explore your city on two wheels!
Elle
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