Hillingdon residents and visitors once again assembled at the Civic Centre in Uxbridge to embark on the third Tour de Hillingdon as part of London Cycling Campaign’s London Cycling Festival on the 20th of September, 2026.
The event was sold out for most of the 6 weeks that tickets were available though inevitably there were some people who booked tickets and did not attend on the day. Luckily their places were taken up by others who attended in the hope that there would be some space. Close to 4,000 riders booked tickets to events all over London, including at a local event in neighbouring Harrow. Hillingdon’s Dr Bike service was also present on the day and Bikeability instructors Richard and Dave did a great job checking riders bikes over and made repairs to several bikes.
Tour
The Tour de Hillingdon is an opportunity for cyclists of all abilities and ages to get out and enjoy some of the many green spaces in Hillingdon on a continuous loop that passes through most of the borough, north and south of the A40. It’s an opportunity to visit places that may not be visible when driving through in a car so a frequent comment from many riders was “I’ve never been here before” or “I’ve no idea where I am”.
The riders ranged from children to adults in their 70s we even had a pair of riders on a tandem (local business owners Laura and Natalie from Refill Your Cup in Ruislip). The response from other road users was almost universally positive and courteous, including encouragement shouted from cars e.g.: “this is brilliant!” and “how can I take part?”
Riders gave great feedback, saying they felt safe in the care of the ride team and wanted more frequent rides, with Sunday afternoons being the general consensus as the best time. A ride to Kingston’s Christmas Market in December was a popular suggestion that we will most likely follow up on.
Progress
On last year’s rides we collated feedback on issues on the route and submitted them to the council as suggestions for improvement. One of these has since been implemented (some double yellow lines across a footpath entrance, acted on very speedily by Councillor Ian Edwards) and many others are under consideration or being actively looked at.
One common complaint that we would like addressed next is that of access through the many physical barriers to various green spaces. These have been put in to keep out motorbikes etc. but don’t seem to have achieved that objective. We came across them in Stockley Park and in Bessingby Park, which had barriers that were awkward for us to pass through but did not stop the motorcyclists getting in. We’d have loved to have included Ickenham Marshes on the ride, but the access out to the underpass under the A40 is almost impossible on a bike.
In conversation with a representative from the London Wildlife Trust over the weekend, it seems that others are working towards the same goal so we hope this is something that can be acted on across the borough to improve accessibility to green spaces for pedestrians, people on mobility scooters, and mothers with pushchairs, as well as cyclists.
Another Successful Ride
In summary, a wonderful day out in the open on two wheels was enjoyed by a number of new riders on this route, as a well as one or two returners from last year. Many thanks to all the riders who took part, to everyone at LCC, to Hillingdon for providing the Dr Bike service, and to the marshalling team for keeping everyone safe. Special thanks in particular to Nigel White, Bikeability instructor and leader of U3A Hillingdon Cycling who stepped in to provide us with some extra help on the day.