Cities take on a different personality by night and London is no exception. As we gathered on the pavement outside the small and cosy pub Indo in Whitechapel, complete with fluorescent jackets, pumpkin fairy lights and one night Wheelers race mascots Morgan the Rat and Stanley the bat, the hustle and bustle of the Saturday night traffic leant an air of excitement and anticipation to the night adventures ahead. With Richard as ride leader, we swiftly scooted up side roads, through Brick Lane and Spitalfields and into the City, where we stopped to hear the first of our ghoulish tales about Jack the Ripper’s last victim…

We then wound our way through a labyrinth of alleyways and hidden passageways through the heart of the City, stopping here and there for more tales of Elizabethan ghosts in the gallery, mummified remains and gruesome architecture where a wedding dress ghost with a glass of wine was probably seen and one of us was pushed over by another specialized ghost. Leaving the City, we made a beeline for the West End, passing through Long Acre and theatreland, where we had to contend with a more contemporary kind of ghoul: the Saturday night reveler. Stopping outside a shop to pick up a few refreshments, we were shocked to see a group of people sitting on the floor with hideous facial injuries and covered in blood. The scene perhaps of a hideous accident or earlier fight, we looked around for the emergency services, only to realize as they waved and chatted cheerily to us that they were in fact zombies. Of course.

Crossing Trafalgar square, we escaped the crowds and headed up the Mall, past Buck House and through the eerie darkness of Green Park, where we stopped for more spooky tales of plague victims and cursed trees. Relieved to escape after singing a minute karaoke, all 17 of us safely negotiated Hyde Park Corner and sped silently through a dimly lit Hyde Park, the crowds and Saturday night partygoers by now a distant memory. Emerging at Marble Arch, we had a brief stop in the middle of the traffic system to hear the history of one of London’s most notorious execution spots, and then headed up the Edgware road for a bit of light refreshment at the area's brightly lit Lebanese cafés.

The riders then silently left the bustle of central London, circling Regent’s Park and via Primrose Hill headed north to Hampstead Heath where we used the lower bike path to cross to the bottom of Swain’s Lane.  Here, we heard the last tale of the ride – the bizarre affair of the Highgate Vampire and the continuing rivalry between the two local “vampire hunters”.   A swift ascent of London’s steepest hill followed and the group reached Highgate Village, some pedaling very quickly up through the spooky narrow lane that bisects the rambling cemetery.

Having lost the ride leader due to the curse of a front wheel puncture, Alex led the group swiftly back to the bright lights of Farringdon and the Tinseltown 24/7 diner, reaching the destination at 3.00 am.

Report by Tomomi, Mariko & Richard