I rode across Central London last week in the middle of a Tube strike. I\u2019ve experienced this before, and it\u2019s always the same. On the one hand, there are cycling groups saying it\u2019s an opportunity to promote cycling. And on the other hand there is reality.<\/p>\n
Cycle commuting<\/a> in London is often weirdly competitive. For Tube strike days, it\u2019s worse. On the Embankment I saw a group of six riders on road bikes jostling for prime spot on the wheel of a Deliveroo rider on an illegal e-bike, and honestly the only thing that was missing was Sirs Jason Kenny and Chris Hoy<\/a>. And let me tell you, if they had been there, they\u2019d have been swamped. Inexperience joins forces with rage and produces a level of sporting aggression that would make Marianne Vos<\/a> politely ask if she could be excused.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n I enjoy trying to look at it through the filter of real race formats. I think it can help explain what\u2019s going on. It\u2019s clear, for instance, that there\u2019s a points race in progress. There are 5, 3, 2 and 1 points available to the first four riders across the line at any set of traffic lights.<\/p>\n You may like<\/p>\n There\u2019s an extra tactical element that in some respects makes it even better than on the track, because as a rider you have the choice between sprinting for the line from 150 metres back, or letting the lights go red and just barging your way through the riders waiting so that you\u2019re at the very front when they change again.<\/p>\n There are other race formats available, including for track sprinters. If you\u2019re a regular rider in Central London you\u2019ll more than likely know the southbound stretch from Charing Cross Road, across Trafalgar Square, through Admiralty Arch and onto the Mall. If you\u2019re not familiar with it, let me describe it thus: it\u2019s a flying 200 meters.<\/p>\n There is the downhill drop off the track banking (a.k.a. Charing Cross Road), the concentration to keep the fast line round the curve (Trafalgar Square) and the thrill of being catapulted out onto the straight (The Mall) at terminal velocity. Assuming you hit all the lights, of course, and don\u2019t get attacked by a taxi driver who, in his turn, thinks he\u2019s driving the Monaco Grand Prix. Last week as just one of 500 riders trying to lead through the arch at 60 kph, I had as exciting a 15 seconds as I\u2019ve enjoyed in a long time.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, for classics riders, the London local authorities have laid on a handful of segregated bike paths and paths. These are notable for both the appalling nature of the surface, their extreme narrowness and for their abrupt changes of direction. Just like the Tour of Flanders<\/a>, knowing the parcours is critical, because if you don\u2019t get your positioning right for the key moments, you\u2019ll never see the front of the race again. I\u2019d have said I needed a Tim Declercq to lead me out for the critical section near the British Museum, but I\u2019m not sure the big Belgian would be any match for 40 teenagers on stolen Lime bikes.<\/p>\n I\u2019m exaggerating. Of course I am. But when the roads are crowded, the sheer aggression is really something, from everyone in whatever means of transport. I like to think of myself as a competitive person with some ability to ride a bike, but half the time I was the one just letting anyone get in front of me that wanted to because it didn\u2019t seem worth the argument. When I mentioned it to Mrs. Doc, she said, \u201cYes, and that\u2019s why you never won the Tour of Flanders.\u201d<\/p>\n I told her she was wrong. It\u2019s not THE reason. It\u2019s just one of many, many, many reasons.<\/p>\n