00:15We're here at Hearn Hill Velodrome today and we're going to ride to the Lee Valley
00:21Velodrome in London, two iconic London cycling destinations to show you the
00:26merits of riding your bike in the city. Now to take on this challenge I'm using this
00:31the beautiful Rivel Hybrid ALE, something with a little twist because it does use a
00:37little motor. And I've chosen Cannondale's Topstone Tiagra as my bike of choice here
00:42and we're going to be using Komoot to plan our route from Hearn Hill all the way
00:45to Lee Valley. Well we'd better go on with it really haven't we? Hang on.
00:51What are you doing here? There was a memo last night did you not see it?
00:55The boss said we're going to spice this video up and make a race of it. I'm
01:00going to use my two legs and you guys are going to use your two bikes and we're
01:03going to see who gets to the Velodrome first. There is a catch though. The memo
01:06clearly stated that you guys have to go via the third most iconic cycling
01:10destination in London, the Mall. Alright well that's not fair because that is so
01:14out of the way. To make this fair again you have to take three different types of
01:19public transport. Okay alright you're on. Sounds fair? Sounds fair. Three, two, one, go.
01:24Oh, he's got a headstone. Oh, he's got a bit.
01:32Andrew, come on, we've got time. Let's do it.
02:03Let's go.
02:17So we've just arrived at Hearnhill station, just checking the live tracking here.
02:22They're already about to cross the bridge so they're getting really close to the mall.
02:26We've got about 10 minute wait here before we get going up to London Bridge so I think
02:29this could be a tight race.
02:36For today's challenge I've chosen to give myself the best chance of winning as possible
02:43by using an e-bike.
02:45This is Ribble's Hybrid ALE and it looks like a beautiful sleek hybrid bike but with a difference.
02:52It uses an e-bike motion system that's tucked in the rear hub of the wheel.
02:57Now that gives me 250 watts of support in three different levels which means you can tune
03:03the ride to exactly how you want it to be.
03:06It comes with all of the other fittings that you would expect on a commuter bike including
03:10mudguard mounts on the front and rear, a pannier rack to carry all of your goods and wide tyres.
03:17The Ribble Hybrid ALE is going to give me that lick of speed I need to win today's race.
03:39Well James we've just crossed over Vauxhall Bridge which is just over there past the MI5 building.
03:44Oh very exciting!
03:47It is!
03:47And we're about to go through Parliament Square.
03:51Beautiful but notoriously a very difficult place to cycle through.
03:54However we've got this really cool blue superhighway.
03:59Can't miss it can you?
04:00No, no.
04:01We've just been on CS5 which has brought us down from Hearn Hill and then we've ridden that
04:06through Vauxhall and now we're on to this one going through Parliament Square.
04:10Yep!
04:47James where are we?
04:49Well I think this is quite a famous building here on the left.
04:54Buckingham Palace!
05:01Well we're here.
05:02We're at the Mall.
05:03Main to the Mall.
05:04So the third iconic cycling landmark of London.
05:08So we've achieved our challenge.
05:10Now it's just time to crack on but what a journey we had down here.
05:13It was pretty good actually.
05:15You know obviously riding in London is quite an experience anyway.
05:19Lots of traffic but the cycle highways are so good.
05:24They're just really well marked out and actually navigating was good.
05:27And we saw some great sights as well.
05:29Hang on a minute.
05:31What's that?
05:33I've got a message from Will.
05:34Oh yeah?
05:35Yes.
05:35Where is he?
05:37Hi boys.
05:37You can see him at the Tube.
05:40Second mode of transport.
05:42Where are you guys at?
05:43I think I'm in the lead right here.
05:45He comes to my train.
05:47Oh he's on the Tube.
05:48So Elephant Castle.
05:50He's quite far along.
05:52Yeah.
05:52We better actually go there.
05:53We better go.
05:54We better go.
06:14Could there be a more perfect bike to take on the streets of London than Cannondale's Topstone Tiagra?
06:19It is a gravel bike but it's way more than just that.
06:22A gravel bike is actually perfect as a commuting weapon purely because it's got such great versatile features.
06:29The first feature that makes it great as a commuter is the riding position.
06:33It gives you a much taller, much more commanding position when you're riding in traffic.
06:38And it's also got what Cannondale call their out front geometry which puts the front wheel further forwards than on
06:44a normal road bike meaning it's way more stable.
06:48Now with the road surfaces that we have around here that is definitely a plus point.
06:52Then going hand in hand with that geometry you've got those tyres.
06:57There's big chunky tyres on this bike.
06:59They're still fast rolling but they'll take on the potholes and all of the cracks and everything that the roads
07:05can throw at you.
07:06With the DNA of a road bike this bike is definitely fast and nimble.
07:10And we'll make sure that today we will come out on top.
07:32Right, so we've made it to London Bridge.
07:34I've got to find another mode of transport but I've got an idea. Come with me.
07:43the
07:50It's
07:51probably
07:51time
07:51time
07:51let me
07:52Because
07:52time
07:54time
08:11time
08:21We were coming by and we just felt like we had to stop really yeah it's not an iconic
08:26cycling spot but it's an iconic spot altogether it is isn't it oh hang on I've got a text
08:35hi boys hopefully you can hear me okay on the boat I think to level the playing field
08:39you guys should take on another challenge you keep banging on about how good your
08:43commuter bikes are and how they're so versatile how about you try some off-road
08:48on the way to Stratford let me know what you think so we need to hit some off-road
08:52before we get to the velodrome some off London is that possible yes on the
08:59canals so East London's full of canals I see the Zurich Tower Bridge we should be
09:04able to close we can cut up through Limehouse I would have thought and onto
09:08the Regents Canal cool program it in mate let's plot it in
09:13we're just coming under Tower Bridge
09:15I've got a sneaky suspicion on the live recording they're just over there
09:20there they are
09:33we've just seen them go by on the boat we better get going
09:43go Jase
09:45go Jase
10:10I think we should go and ask the captain if he can put his foot down
10:20I think the captain got a message full gas full gas
10:26you
10:27let me know
11:04All right, we're almost there, so literally just there.
11:26I think he's just round the corner. He's coming round the corner, look, there he is, so there's us, and
11:34he's right there.
11:41Welcome! Easy! How did you do that? How did you do that?
11:45We have these. Bicycles, my friend. We don't have to then rely on other forms of transport to get here.
11:52We could do it all ourselves. London Transport's like the best in the world.
11:57Yes. No doubt, but no transport is more efficient than the bicycle.
12:01Well, well done, gents. Fair and square, I'll give you that. It was a good challenge.
12:06It's not bad, you weren't too far behind, but it was still second place, first loser and all that, isn't
12:13it?
12:13Yeah. Thanks, guys.
12:15Well, sorry, Will. It was a good challenge, but here we are, iconic Lee Valley Velodrome behind us.
12:22And that was a good challenge. It was, and I think the one thing that stands out more than
12:26anything else for myself is just how small London becomes when you're on a bike.
12:32Definitely. It's just, everything is just so close,
12:34like all of a sudden, one minute you're like, oh, we're here. Yeah. So good.
12:38So I've just been thinking the cost of this trip versus what you can get one of these bikes on
12:42the
12:42cycle to work scheme, it's really quite impressive. I think within, you know, say you're commuting five
12:47days a week, within six months, you could get your money back, really. It's really impressive.
12:51Easily, yeah. But that does end this challenge and what a challenge it has been. But if you've enjoyed
12:57it, then please do like and subscribe to the Cycling Weekly YouTube channel. And if you have any tips
13:02for riding in the city, do let us know in the comments section below. And likewise, if you're
13:07interested in the route that we took across London, we'll be putting a link to that in the description
13:12box underneath this video. But until next time, we'll see you then. I'll have to get a Boris bike.
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