Tour de Richmond Park!

Went for a walk there Sunday lunchtime and really could not believe the staggering amount of roadies in the park. I know road biking has exploded since the olympics but it was amazing to see the sheer numbers on the roads. Nice to see so many out but I’d imagine there are more than one or two accidents due to all the overtaking of cars that we saw.

I go everyday during the week, but avoid it at weekends – it’s ridiculously busy. (That, and because I have time to go somewhere else. 🙂 )

They should make it one way. One car lane and one for bikes.

Nothing clears the mind more than a few laps of the place. Especially in the sunshine with all the deer gambolling about. Shame about the cars really.

It’s a beautiful place to ride, and great quality surface too.
I believe the Police are clamping down on everyone exceeding the 20mph limit, including cyclists…

Shame about the cars really.

I love the cars, tucking in behind a considerate people carrier (that you can look through) at 40kmh for half a lap makes life so much easier*

*faster on strava

Ban the cars and hold road races would be a great circuit. but I did grow a little bored of laps in the end… i can ride into the dales now instead though 😀

Did manage 3 laps in 58 mins once too… which is breaking the speed limit on average.

Hmm.

I shall be back down there once my knee settles down.

Love it & loath it in equal measures.

Went for a stroll there a few weekends back. Couldn’t believe the number of cyclists and cars, too busy for me, didn’t look particularly enjoyable.

It’s bliss on weekday evenings, just locals 8)

It’s nice to finish with a pint on Richmond terrace.

I’d never ride there on a sunny weekend though, nightmare.

My friend – in preparation for a huge charity ride – did 37 continous laps of the park. Riding with him at 3am (I only did 12 laps) was a surreal experience. I do remember training there and hardly seeing any other riders. Out in the sticks now and I can’t believe how busy places like Box Hill can be too.

the royal parks are the lungs of london. hence they can get busy. I used to go through richmond park as part of my commute home to add a small hill and some miles, the best time to go is in the winter, pitch black, entrance gates closed to cars and only you and your lights reflecting off the retina’s of the deer. spooky, surreal and quite refreshing after battling in the traffic.

Watch out for dogs called Fenton.

Damn roadies though, they’re everywhere now after the Olympics, especially yes out by Box Hill but not just there but the surrounding roads and hills, with frequent official and unofficial events on too. Makes polluting the air in my car to drive to tear up off-road trails and be a general menace more hassle 😛

My friend – in preparation for a huge charity ride – did 37 continous laps of the park.

😯

And you “only” did 12? PATHETIC.

I remember when it were all fields…
I like the one way idea with a bike lane. But clockwise or anticlockwise?

It depends when you go…….At night when the road is closed to cars it is great – but I recomend taking good lights after ‘proper dark’ to watch out for deer on the roads – and the odd dogger near to the various main gates…..

But as there is no street lighting at all you do feel alone for an hour or two. Mrs GDRS and I used to take the gravel path round the outside for a lap or two on the singlespeeds. Nothing technical but it does stretch the legs.

This might be a stupid question, I’m not from London, but I’ve sometimes wondered (and here seems an appropriate thread to ask) why cars are allowed in Richmond park at all? I mean, it’s in London, there’s plenty of other routes, right?

I get it that cutting through the park might be quicker, but I don’t see that as reason enough…

Can anyone enlighten me..?

And you “only” did 12? PATHETIC

Hangs his head in shame 😳

I avoid RP now as its so busy, we used to ride there after dark, but discovering a pack of ninja runners wearing all black with no reflectives blocking the road tended to create brown trousers. Also roller skiers with near 6′ poles were exciting.
Going in to watch the fireworks over Richmond was good, and riding back along the river meant you got to see them from above and below.
I completely fail to see the fascination with Box Hill – it’s crowded, the cafe has always been rubbish and the climb isn’t terribly interesting. And now of course that people think its an ‘iconic’ road climb its full of people riding like dicks.

I completely fail to see the fascination with Box Hill

I did it for the first time last summer – a couple of weeks after the Olympics finished, when the road art was still there and before the speed bumps went back in.

That felt really good – a connection with our Olympic success. But as a climb in and of itself, it’s not that special IMO – steady away.

The climbs we do around Eastern end of N Downs with Dulwich Paragon (Star Hill, Chalk Pit, Hogtrough etc) are far more interesting and challenging IMO

This might be a stupid question, I’m not from London, but I’ve sometimes wondered (and here seems an appropriate thread to ask) why cars are allowed in Richmond park at all? I mean, it’s in London, there’s plenty of other routes, right?

Access to the Park, the golf course, the ballet school… as well as getting to Kingston from Richmond/Sheen.

Loved Richmond park when we lived just outsiode the Kingston gate, probably a bit quieter back then great for a quick lap or 3 of an evening and longboarding down the bigger hills overtaking the cars 😉

I ride the gravel path a couple of times a week – a great local leg stretcher but the roadie situation has got beyond a joke …
I avoid it at the weekend but had a couple of friends down so went for a walk around last Sunday and saw 2 accidents within 20 minutes, both due to riders passing a queue cars turning right – passing on the outside, car turns across with inevitable yelling and a crunch – both riders were ok but couldn’t understand they were at fault !!

UN-BEE-LEEEVV-A-BULL arrogance ….

I use it for a quick ride when I’m in London. 10 miles out there (mostly reasonably pleasant), 3 laps, 10 miles home is a quick and easy 40 miles.

Just pick your time to go, I’d avoid summer weekends like the plague unless it was absolute crack of dawn.

My masseur was complaining about the chain gangs in RP. As a leisure cyclist she said that she found the groups intimidating and inconsiderate when passing her. She specifically mentioned one club – london something was what she said.

London – lady. It was probably the London Dynamo. The aren’t many clubs in London with London prominently in the name.

Boxhill isn’t a great climb it’s just a relatively easy way to get up to the north downs. The nearby climb from Westhumble to Ranmore for instance is harder and more interesting. It’s more about location than anything else with boxhill. The MTB climbs are much better!

The London Dynamo lot have got a lot of flack over the years for some members being… well… complete members. I’ve had them shout at me for getting in their way before when I was just pootling along on my bike on the way home from work and I know I’m not the only person. I’ve heard they made an effort to get their riders to be a little less twatty and as far as I understood it, if they want to do TT practice they do it early morning or late to avoid crowds.

Ban the cars and hold road races would be a great circuit. but I did grow a little bored of laps in the end… i can ride into the dales now instead though

come join 🙂 Race

both riders were ok but couldn’t understand they were at fault !!

They probably drive in the same way as they ride…

I assumed it was them and am aware of their reputation. IMO if you are riding in club kit then you are the “face” of that club so should be respectful to other road users otherwise it reflects badly on the club.

Ban the cars and hold road races would be a great circuit. but I did grow a little bored of laps in the end… i can ride into the dales now instead though

come join Race[/quote]

Yeah, I did the ultra version in 2011, not a road race though!

Mrs GDRS and I used to take the gravel path round the outside for a lap or two on the singlespeeds. Nothing technical but it does stretch the legs.

Do it a couple of times a week, all year round on the track, good for keeping oneself ticking over, also bits of Wimbledon common, up the river along to Hampton court and bushy park. Avoid it all Summer weekends.

But as there is no street lighting at all you do feel alone for an hour or two.

It’s quite surprising how quiet it gets after 8pm in the Winter, I suppose all the commuters have passed through, the dog walkers and runners are finished. I would have thought there would have been a few more roadies around.

Just been round there with a mate. Surprisingly quiet actually, maybe we caught the rush hour where all the usual cyclists were riding home from work and hadn’t yet got to the park…

Annoyingly windy in places and we had a couple of bellends try and race us but other than that, it was a lovely evening.

Had a nasty road rage incident on the way to the park though, a white van (what else…) cut us up, the passenger jumped out yelling abuse about all cyclists being ****, use the **** cycle path, etc. Really screaming and ranting. Fortunately we had a few cyclists hanging onto our wheels at that point so there were about 4 or 5 riders and we all stopped so he didn’t approach us but that was very nasty. 🙁 No reason for it at all, clear road, nothing to prevent him overtaking but wow he was angry!