FREE Rock 'n Ride Westminster - Sun 27 April 2014

 A free seven mile ride for those who live, work or study in Westminster covering highlights of its rock and pop history.

Along the way we'll pass the location of the Beatles last performance, discover how Handel and Hendrix are linked, spot the studio where the first three Queen albums were recorded, and visit the world's most famous Zebra crossing.

Meet at 2pm at Park Lane docking station, on the pavement of Park Lane adjacent to Hyde Park (a little way down from Speakers' Corner), opposite Upper Grosvenor Street. Following a quick bike check the ride will set off around 2.10pm and finish back there by 5.30pm

Book on the Cycle Confident website

FREE Alphabetical Adventure in Vauxhall and Waterloo ride - Sun 14 April 2014

This ride zig-zags madly so you can chance upon 26 and more historical and quirky places in alphabetical order (except X, sorry).

From Architecture to Blake

the Canterbury Music Hall 

and the home of Drugs

 Etc.

En-route we'll visit the true centre of London, see the grand entrance to the Necropolis (the railway for the dead) and spot astronauts in trees.

Accompanied by experienced cycling instructors the ride will cover a dozen or so miles within a very small area, mainly on quiet back streets.

To discover the full alphabet book a place on the FREE ride, meeting at 10am for a quick bike check before departing by 10.15am, to finish by 1.30pm. The ride starts on the segregated cycle track by Lassco, 30 Wandsworth Rd, SW8 2LG. Book this free ride through Cycle Confident, Lambeth Council's cycle training provider.

London’s Street Furniture, a FREE Lambeth Cyclists' Architecture Ride - Sat 26 April 2014

Extend your familiarity with bollards, crossings, grit boxes and  other essential aspects of the streetscape. Along the way we’ll discover the first place in the world to have traffic lights, and stumble across the likes of the Duke of Wellington’s Mounting Block.

We will also visit the English Heritage Carscapes exhibition en-route, so you'll need to bring £4.20 or an English Heritage membership card to gain admittance, plus some money for lunch (or a packed lunch).

There is no need to book for this free c10 mile ride, just turn up from 10.15 for a 10.30 am departure from the entrance to Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens next to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern, 372 Kennington Lane, London SE11 5HY. The ride will end around 4pm near the Elephant and Castle.

A Pride of Lions in Westminster

It was a glorious day recently to lead a Cycle Confident ride around Westminster in search of lions. Here, in no particular order, are a few of the ones we saw:

Public and Street Art in the City of Westminster

A few quick snaps from a Cycle Confident ride I deliver looking at Public and Street Art in the City of Westminster

Free Brixton Neighbourhood Ride,Sun Oct 28th, 2pm

 All are welcome on this free family-friendly Lambeth Cyclists Neighbourhood Ride on Sunday afternoon, 28th October, taking a couple of hours to gently explore Brixton and its neighbouring area.

The ride, which will mainly be on quiet streets, starts at 2pm, with a free bike check just beforehand, in Max Roach Park (named after the jazz drummer) on the corner of Brixton Road and St John's Crescent, SW9.

We're meeting just by the moving. if impossible to photograph, statue 'First Child' by Raymond Watson. 

If you email to say you're coming before Wednesday 24th October you'll definitely get a free bag of goodies from Barclays (doesn't include a Barclays Bike) and free back-up lights from Lambeth Council.


  To register just send an email headed Oct 28 with the names of those coming along to charlie@capitalrides.org.uk . It's fine also to just turn up on the day, but there's no guarantee you'll get the lights etc. (Also check out the Waterloo and Vauxhall Neighbourhood Ride the previous Sunday, October 21st).

On the ride we'll be passing some of Brixton's fantastic and long-lasting murals, such as the 1981 'Nuclear Dawn'.

and following a little of the inner London motorway that was planned in the 1960s to roar through Brixton, resulting in the Barrier Block being built.

We'll also pay tribute to the Effra river (and its tributaries) which, before it was covered over, was practically navigable by boat from Brixton to the Thames at Vauxhall.






We're going to rock down to 'Electric Avenue' (as Eddy Grant sang), the first shopping street to be lit by electricity.

 and we'll be taking checking out various embellishments to the buildings

 before passing Brixton Tate Library, with the bust outside of Sir Henry Tate - sugar magnate, philanthropist and Streatham resident.

We'll gradually work our way up to the last remaining windmill in inner London (there were twelve in Lambeth alone).

 before heading across Blenheim Gardens (not the ones attached to Blenheim Palace, the monumental stately home in Oxfordshire)

 and down to two recently built houses, the exquisite Tree House and it's neighbour, the rather more imposing house featured in September's 'Grand Designs' C4 programme.

We'll then be passing by the house where David Bowie, the face of the ten pound note (Brixton),  lived until he was six

The ride will end back at Max Roach Park at 4pm.


Barclays are proud to support “Lambeth by Bike” as it allows residents to explore their local area and gain confidence riding on the road. Riders of all ages are welcome on the rides, but under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.