Sheldon Brown Ride
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April 2008

In the worst weather conditions so far, this year eight people met at Ealing Town Hall for the Sheldon Brown Memorial Ride. We left at 10:10am leaving behind David and Elly who had made their own plans for the day. We proceed via Longfield Avenue, Gordon Road, Haven Green, Madeley Road, Queens Drive, Links Road, Monks Drive, Masons Green Lane and into Coronation Road. At this point one of our riders Robbo took the decision to abandon us and head home; the rest proceeded along Acton Lane where we then joined the Grand Union Canal at Barrett’s Green Road.

The ride continued onwards to Sainsbury’s at Ladbroke Grove where Ben and Robert decided to go to see the Olympic touch on its journey through London. The remaining trio of determined riders continued along the Grand Union Canal to the Paddington Basin then a short walk pass Paddington Central (no cycling allowed) to London Street. We then remounted our bikes and proceeded down to Sussex Place and into Stanhope Terrace, Brook Street and across the Bayswater Road to enter Hyde Park at Victoria Gate. We the travelled on along The Ring (North Carriage Drive) to arrive at Speakers Corner at 11:40am.

After a rather long rest break we went and met up with other cyclists who had started to arrived at the Kiosk by Speakers Corner. I got talking to a fellow cyclist named Henry who fondly recalled rebuilding Sturmey-Archer three speed gears with help and numerous instructions e-mailed from Sheldon Brown; who also included URL’s to his own web site showing cut away drawings and assembly instructions.

At 1:30pm we joined the 67 cyclists and a baby on the Sheldon Brown Memorial ride going down to Hyde Park Corner. Moving through the triple gates of the Hyde Park Corner Screen designed by the architect Decimus Burton and under the huge Wellington Arch originally called Constitution Arch. This is topped by the largest bronze sculpture in Europe; many people often wrongly think the statue is that of Boadicea but it is "Quadriga", the “Angel of peace descending onto the chariot of war”. We then went down Constitution Hill; pass Buckingham Palace and the Queen Victoria Memorial and up The Mall and under Admiralty Arch. We then rode passed Trafalgar Square down Northumberland Avenue and along the Victoria Embankment to Blackfriars and then along Queen Victoria Street. Passing on the right the famous 17th Century Sir Christopher Wren Church of St Benet (Paul's Wharf) mentioned by Shakespeare in Twelfth Night, Act V, Scene 1, whilst adjacent the splendid ornate gates of the College of Arms stand in all their glory. The ride continued across Southwark Bridge; along Tooley Street then back across the river via Tower Bridge, Tower of London and up to Broadgate and finally along Great Eastern Street to The Foundry.

This is where the ride finished at The Foundry Public House which is in an ex-bank which turned out to be a real eye opener, walls covered in graffiti, old looking furniture and owned by the former pop group KLF Gimpo & Bill Drummond. We stayed around an hour then we left.

We recommenced the ride going via City Road, down to Bank then Blackfriars and back onto the Victoria Embankment. We retraced our route to Hyde Park Corner then back into Hyde Park and along South Carriage Drive to Queen’s Gate. We continued on along Kensington High Street, Hammersmith Road, King Street; Chiswick High Street. At this point Paul left us, while we continued along Gunnersbury Avenue. We paused the ride at Gunnersbury Cemetery to photograph the Katyn Memorial. This memorial is to the 14,500 Polish Officers who disappeared from U.S.S.R. POW camps in the spring of 1940. We then continued the ride back to Ealing and then made our way home.