A ride for all the family through the parks of Central London
Sunday October 26th from 12 noon to 3pm

This is a celebratory, fun social ride suitable for families and children hosted by the Women’s Network. Places are free but please click through the link below so we know how many marshals are needed.

A ride martial’s view

Last Saturday, Jess had a preview of the beautiful, traffic-free route of next week’s ride around the parks of Central London. The autumn colours and the crisp weather put rosy smiles on the faces of those members of the LCC Women’s Network who had signed up for the latest Ride Marshal training session. It was reassuringly led by the very experienced and delightfully unflappable Mariam, from Joy Riders.

Marshalling a group ride is about keeping the riders safe and making sure everyone has a great time. The martials prepare for the route and think ahead for where the group of riders may need need a little help. Aproaching junctions, the ride leader will wait for all the riders to catch up. The marshalls look for a gap in the traffic, make friendly eye-contact with drivers and move forward to a position where they can shepherd across the whole group of riders about to turn left or right. Drivers appreciate knowing that we can clear the junction confidently as a group, whereas many riders moving as individuals may be more hesitant and unpredictable – and this can cause undue delays to other road users.

We as marshals cycle alongside the group and help to keep the group together rather than spreading out too much – this helps the drivers too! We are there to help you, if you or your family member is struggling, or a bike isn’t running smoothly. We will always make sure you are not left behind! We may not be doctors or mechanics, but somebody on the ride can help – and we can help you find that person!

Cycling Hillingdon thought very carefully whether or not to offer a feeder ride. It can be fun and empowering but it does take hours to ride in a mixed ability group all the way from any part of Hillingdon to central London. We would have to set off at the crack of dawn. Instead we suggest you ride to a convenient station in Hillingdon, take your bike on the train to Central London and then ride to the Wellington Arch, Hyde Park.

• Elizabeth Line stations almost all have step-free access (i.e. lifts) but check the TfL website as it may not be running on the 26th.

• The Metropolitan Line should be running on the 26th, but also check the TfL website. The most useful step free stations for Hillingdon residents on the Met Line are Uxbridge, Ickenham and also Harrow on the Hill. Alight at Kings Cross, which is the first station with a lift to get off when travelling into central London. Going back, there is a lift at Euston Square. Ruislip is naturally step free going towards London but has a lot of steps when coming back from London. Harrow-on-the-Hill has lifts and the Chiltern Line journey to Marylebone is quick. If you time it right this is a good option but Chiltern Line trains are not so frequent on a Sunday.

• The Picadilly Line and Central Line don’t allow bikes in the central area of London.

If you’ve not cycled through Hyde Park, you haven’t lived! It really feels like freedom, when you have wide cycle lanes, amongst spaceous avenues and lawns, with trees and statues and all sorts of people out for a pleasant day, and you are gliding through on your bike with a big smile on your face. The marshals are people like you, who want more people to have this wonderful experience that cycling brings. Give it a try.