Sunday, September 21, 2008

Roads Closed For London Freewheel

Cyclists of all ages made their presence known this Sunday, as an environmentally friendly yellow snake made its way leisurely passed some of London’s major attractions.

Around 50,000 cyclists enjoyed an ideal cycling environment; 100% free from motorised transport, experiencing only the sound of celebratory horns and excitement, and only the taste of cleaner air.

Perhaps if oil prices continue their natural escalation as fossil fuels diminish, the sight of a car-less London is a very real possibility in the not-too-distant future.


London Freewheel


The first London Freewheel was developed by the former Mayor of London; Ken Livingstone and Transport for London (TfL), to promote the transport mode of cycling in the capital. Since the first London Freewheel in 2007 was a roaring success, it was no surprise that Sunday's cycling event was hugely popular once again.

This year previous sponsor Hovis was replaced by Sky Sports for the 2008 London Freewheel.

Hub locations fed the main route with a keen supply of bright cyclists from the Emirates Stadium, Victoria Park, Clapham Common and Ravenscourt Park.

The main route at 12km (7.45 miles) long, offered London’s bike riders enviable views of the capital highlights such as;

  • Houses of Parliament
  • Buckingham Palace
  • Tower of London


Olympic Cycling Presence


Boosted by Britain's Olympic successes on the world stage, ambassadors for UK sport supported the event, including Beijing heroes; Chris Hoy, Victoria Pendleton, Ed Clancy, Jamie Staff and Shanaze Reade.

Bike rental firms helped quench the massive demand for everything two-wheeled, and if the Freewheel event is an inspiration for non-cyclists to try eco-power in the capital, the option to rent a bike in London, is always available.

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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

While no where near as epic, Baltimore City, Maryland also opened up to bicyclists on Sunday.

I have no idea if that is a coincidence or not.

Some pictures of the event are here: http://flickr.com/photos/30636228@N06/sets/72157607442721583/

2 videos (shot while riding) are here: http://revver.com/video/1195389/lazy-sunday-bike-ride-down-interstate-83/

Anonymous said...

Sorry for the bad links! Corrected:

video
photos

Urban Commuter said...

Great pictures! Thank you Gavin!
Quite an amazing sight to see young kids with stabilisers riding down the motorway! (Interstate).

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