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.
01:34Let's go.
01:34What do you think?
01:36You, you, you.
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 mountain.
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 Ribbles 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
03:43MI5 building.
03:44Oh, very exciting!
03:46It is!
03:47And we're about to go through Parliament Square, beautiful, but notoriously a very difficult
03:53place 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
04:06that through Vauxhall, and now we're on to this one going through Parliament Square.
04:10Yep.
04:11We've got to keep in mind.
04:17OK.
04:23Ok.
04:25armasas, all right.
04:27It'sgraphic.
04:29Now, go Puck.
04:33Now, we've done gospels a little bit more.
04:40Yeah, yep.
04:47James where are we? Well I think this is quite a famous building here on the left, Buckingham
04:54Palace. Well we're here, we're at the Mall, so the third iconic cycling landmark of London.
05:08So we've achieved our challenge, now it's just time to crack on, but what a journey we had down here.
05:13It was pretty good actually, you know obviously riding in London is quite an experience anyway,
05:19lots of traffic, but the cycle highways are so good. They're just really well marked out and
05:26actually navigating was good and we saw some great sights as well. Hang on a minute, what's that?
05:33I've got a message from Will. Oh yeah? Yes. Where is he?
05:37Hi boys, you can see him at the Tube. Second mode of transport. Where are you guys at? I think,
05:44I think I'm in the lead right here. Here comes my train. Oh he's on the Tube.
05:48So Elephant Castle. He's quite far along. Yeah. We better actually go there, haven't we?
05:54There we 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. A gravel bike is actually perfect as a
06:24commuting weapon, purely because it's got such great versatile features. The first feature that
06:30makes it great as a commuter is the riding position. It gives you a much taller, much more commanding
06:36position when you're riding in traffic. And it's also got what Cannondale call their out-front
06:41geometry, which puts the front wheel further forwards than on a normal road bike, meaning it's way more
06:47stable. Now with the road surfaces that we have around here, that is definitely a plus point.
06:53Then going hand in hand with that geometry, you've got those tires. There's big, chunky tires on this
06:59bike that are still fast rolling, but they'll take on the potholes and all of the cracks and everything
07:04that the roads can throw at you. With the DNA of a road bike, this bike is definitely fast and
07:10nimble.
07:10And we'll make sure that today we will come out on top.
07:32Right, so we've made it to London Bridge. I've got to find another mode of transport, but I've got an
07:36idea. Come with me.
07:37Can you see this movement?
07:40Am I standing here for the moment?
08:20Dower Bridge
08:21Dower Bridge
08:22We were coming by
08:23and we just felt like we had to stop really
08:25Yeah it's not an iconic cycling spot
08:27but it's an iconic spot altogether
08:29It is isn't it
08:30Oh hang on
08:33I've got a text
08:35Hi boys
08:36Hopefully you can hear me okay on the boat
08:37I think to level the playing field
08:39you guys should take on another challenge
08:41You keep banging on about how good your commuter bikes are
08:44and how they're so versatile
08:46How about you try some off-road on the way to Stratford
08:49Let me know what you think
08:50So we need to hit some off-road
08:52before we get to the velodrome
08:54Some off-road
08:55In London
08:56Is that possible?
08:58Yes
08:58On the canals
08:59So East London's full of canals
09:01I see these are at Tower Bridge
09:03We should be able to
09:04We're pretty close
09:05We can cut up through Limehouse I would have thought
09:08and onto the Regent's Canal
09:09Cool
09:10Program it in mate
09:11Let's plot it in
09:13We're just coming under Tower Bridge
09:14I've got a sneaky suspicion on the live recording
09:17They're just over there
09:19There they are
09:23There they are
09:25Oh look
09:30That's so funny
09:33We've just seen them go by on the boat
09:35We better get going
09:36Yes
09:43Go James
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
10:24Full gas
10:25Full gas
10:26We'll be right back
10:45We'll be right back
10:46We'll be right back
10:46We'll be right back
10:47We'll be right back
10:48We'll be right back
10:48We'll be right back
10:49We'll be right back
10:49We'll be right back
10:49We'll be right back
10:49We'll be right back
11:04All right, we're almost there.
11:06So, 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
11:32us.
11:33And he's right there, welcome, easy.
11:45We have these.
11:47Bicycles, my friend.
11:48We don't have to then rely on other forms of transport to get here, we could do it all
11:53ourselves.
11:54London transport's like the best in the world, no doubt, but no transport is more efficient
11:59than 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
12:12all that, isn't it?
12:13Yeah.
12:13Thanks guys.
12:14Yeah.
12:15Well, sorry Will, it was a good challenge, but here we are, iconic Lee Valley Velodrome behind
12:21us.
12:22Yes.
12:22And that was a good challenge.
12:24It was.
12:25And I think the one thing that stands out more than anything else for myself is just how
12:30small London becomes when you're on a bike.
12:32Definitely.
12:32It was just, everything is just so close.
12:34Like all of a sudden, one minute you're like, oh, we're here.
12:37Yeah.
12:37So good.
12:38So I've just been thinking the cost of this trip versus what you can get one of these bikes
12:42on the cycle to work scheme.
12:44It's really quite impressive.
12:44I think within, you know, say you're commuting five days a week, within six months, you could,
12:48you know, you could get your money back.
12:50Really.
12:50It's really impressive.
12:51Easily.
12:52Yeah.
12:52But 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.
13:01And if you have any tips for riding in the city, do let us know in the comment section
13:05below.
13:06And likewise, if you're interested in the route that we took across London, we'll be putting
13:10a link to that in the description box underneath this video.
13:13But until next time, we'll see you then.
13:16I'll have to get a Boris bike.
13:23Bye.
13:23Bye.
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