Jon Day, author of the new book Cyclogeography: Journeys of a London Bicycle Courier, gives us his favourite local cycle route for June
DISTANCE: 60 miles
DIFFICULTY: depends on how many times you climb Box Hill!
Any good cycle ride has to have a sense of destination, and what better destination for Surrey cyclists than Box Hill?
From where I live in east London I usually get there by heading into the city through Hackney and central London, before turning southwest once I’ve crossed the river over London Bridge.
I like urban riding so tend to stick to busy ‘A’ roads – I head south past the Oval and turn off towards Richmond Park on the A3. After a lap or two of Richmond Park (always difficult to resist), I head south, through Surbiton and Chessington, and on through Leatherhead on the B2430. Stay on the Dorking Road, cycling alongside the River Mole, until you get to Mickleham.
If you’ve enough left in the tank you can now emulate your Olympic heroes by climbing Box Hill.
If you’ve not, you can climb it at a more leisurely pace, before sitting on the verge at the top and watching other riders trundle over the artist Richard Long’s ‘Road River’ sculpture.
To make a long loop of the ride head back north towards Walton on Thames, and then follow signs for Epsom. At the Epsom racecourse the roads become quieter.
Continue to New Malden before heading back into London through Wimbledon, Brixton and Camberwell, crossing the river at Tower Bridge. If you have any energy left you can do a few laps of the Olympic park on your way through.
Great places to grab a bite or refresh yourself on the way include Look Mum No Hands on Clerkenwell Road or Cycles Dauphin in Tadworth - both combo bike shops/cafes. The Green Machine is a delicious food truck in Epsom Marketplace.
You can find the Mapometer information for this route here
Writer, academic and cyclist, Jon Day worked as a bicycle courier for several years. His new book Cyclogeography is about the bicycle in the cultural imagination, and serves as a portrait of London seen from the saddle.
Day lifts the lid on the solitary life of the courier; on an average day he’d cycle between 60 to 100 miles, making deliveries that included blood and urine samples and, on one occasion, teabags to Buckingham Palace.
His courier days now behind him, Day is a lecturer in English Literature at King’s College London. You can save 20% when buying his book by entering the promo code ELM01 at nottinghilleditions.com. This offer expires on September 30 2015, and T&Cs apply.
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