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Christmas Day - Deserted London Ride - 2003



Thursday 25th December

Greenwich Cyclists Deserted London ride on 25 December ride is designed for those who want to escape their sofas that day in like-minded company. About 45 people turned up for this one including 15 new faces and a 70 year age span. A live interview on Radio 2's Danny Baker Show and good editorial coverage in Time Out (they phoned us!) generated loads of interest. The ride edged up to London along the Thames path, crossed over Lambeth Bridge, had a beer in Charing Cross Road, went right round Hyde Park, and at around 1.30pm ended up unannounced outside a Lebanese restaurant in Edgware Road. The manager was fantastic......lunch for 34? No problem. He moved a few coffee drinkers and make a block of tables for us. Lovely food, fast service. Then we headed east along quiet Oxford Street and through the City to Wapping and Canary Wharf riverside...numbers dwindled as people went home but around 15 of us hauled our bikes up the foot tunnel stairs to Cutty Sark Gardens.

And hence to The Crown (where we water after our monthly meetings) which opened as arranged and where numbers grew to about 20...who stayed till closing time.

And there as promised on Boxing Day morning under a photo of us at Cutty Sark Gardens was a good little piece in The Independent.

Barry Mason.


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