Women's ride
We are teaming up with Tower Hamlets Cycling Club, the Fieldgate project and the East End Women's Institute to offer a women only ride. This will be suitable for women that have perhaps done some basic training and cycled maybe around the park, but would now like to explore a little further on their bike. And of course any women who already cycle confidently but would like a social ride will be very welcome too.
Our plan is to go up to Victoria Park (contact me if you prefer to meet the group there and we will try to arrange something) then do a sociable lap of the park to check everyone is OK and all bikes are functioning as they should! Then we will follow the towpath to the Waterworks cafe near Leabridge road and stop for a late elevenses/early lunch. The cafe offers relatively cheap food and drink (mug of tea 80p), also there are loos at the visitor centre and you should be fine sitting outside eating your own food if you want to bring something along. After the break there will be a choice to return directly to Victoria Park or to carry on cycling further north up the Lee Valley. Depending on the wishes of the group and the weather this can be a shorter or longer extension. Then finally we will turn south again back to Victoria and Mile End parks, maybe with a tea or ice cream (optimistic!) stop.
Total distance to Waterworks and direct return about 12 miles, for longer route between 15 and 20. Return time obviously depends on which option you choose. Pace will be very easy, most of the ride will be traffic free but you will need to be confident about cycling next to water (although you can get off and walk for those nasty cobbled sections under the bridges - your ride leaders don't like those either!) and OK to tackle one or two minor quiet roads for short distances. If you just want to come along to meet everyone and do the Victoria Park lap, then leave, that's fine with us as long as you tell us.
We hope that this will be the first in a series of women only rides, probably one a month, with some future excursions slightly further afield but still all easy pace and relatively short.
back to Ride reports
