Aspiring tourer in Central London

[HappyCoder]

Hello all

I've been a cycling commuter in London for many years and my interest in cycling has grown greatly.
I'd be interested in meeting up with other cyclists in urban London who are interested in dipping their toe into getting involved in cycling touring (or even experienced cycle tourers who are happy to help out a newbie).

I live in NW London, 47, work in design and looking to mix more with cyclists in my area.

Thanks

 

[Welsh wheels]

You could try your local cycling club. There'll probably be people there who like cycle touring or can at least point you in the right direction. At the very least, you'll get to meet other cyclists. Try going out on a ride with them, most clubs are very happy for new people to come and try riding with them. And welcome to the forum as well!

 

[HappyCoder]

That's great advice, many thanks.

 

[Racing roadkill]

London's a big place, you'll find a group of like minded folk in no time

www.letsride.co.uk is as good a place as any to start looking.

 

[HappyCoder]

Brilliant, will have a look, many thanks.

 

[mjr]

www.lcc.org.uk and www.cyclinguk.org are probably other good places to look for non-competitive rides, although my local LCC sibling puts some of our rides on letsride when we get time.

 

[mercalia]

rather than wait until you find some mates to tour with you might consider some of the places in London you might like to explore eg the following are not road rides but can be done on a hybrid bike

the various canal paths - from Victoria Park in east london the lea and stort canal path
the crane valley path ( from Twickenham look on A-Z) which goes thru various parks and by the side of the river crane by Hounslow Heath and onto Heathrow and beyond joining up to the Hillingdon Trail which goes all the way to Rickemans worth - is a very varied ride some really just walkable some easy to ride on. This will require a bit of detective work to find out to get onto it at various points, but thats part of the fun

 

[Big T]

Are you interested in Audax? There are a couple of Audax clubs in London, or at least clubs with strong audax representation. Willesden CC and Audax Club Hackney.

Audax is touring over a set route with the aim of finishing within a time limit. Rides vary from 100km to 600km and longer.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

What is your vision of "cycle touring"? Tents and panniers and sleeping bags for days on end. Day trips in the countryside and home for bed. Faster rides with stops for beer and cake and ruins and nothing but minimal kit and a credit card hopping from B&B to Hotel to B&B*, or some other variant? It's all out there, and how you engage with each is a little bit different.

*my preferred flavour.