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.
01:35Oh, he's got a headstone.
01:37Okay, let's go.
01:53Okay, thanks for having me.
02:17So we've just arrived at Hearn Hill 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 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.
04:10Yeah!
04:47James where are we?
04:49Well I think this is quite a famous building here on the left, Buckingham Palace.
05:01Well we're here, we're at the Mall.
05:03Main to the Mall, so 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.
05:45Here comes 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.
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.
06:37And 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.
06:53Then going hand in hand with that geometry you've got those tyres.
06:57There's big chunky tyres on this bike that are still fast rolling but they'll take on the potholes and all
07:03of the cracks and everything that the roads can throw at you.
07:06With the DNA of a road bike this bike is definitely fast and nimble and we'll make sure that today
07:12we will come out on top.
07:32Right, so we've made it to London Bridge and we've got to find another mode of transport but I've got
07:36an idea. Come with me.
08:20Dower Bridge! Dower Bridge!
08:22We were coming by and we just felt like we had to stop really.
08:25Yeah, it's not an iconic cycling spot but it's an iconic spot altogether really.
08:29It is, isn't it? Oh, hang on.
08:33I've got a text!
08:35Hi boys, hopefully you can hear me okay on the boat.
08:37I think to level the playing field, you guys should take on another challenge.
08:42You keep banging on about how good your commuter bikes are and how they're so versatile.
08:46How about you try some off-road on the way to Stratford? Let me know what you think.
08:50So we need to hit some off-road before we get to the velodrome.
08:54Some off-road.
08:55In London?
08:56Is that possible?
08:58Yes!
08:59On the canals.
09:00So East London's full of canals.
09:02I 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, and onto the Regent's Canal.
09:10Cool.
09:10Program it in, mate.
09:11Let's plot it in.
09:13We're just coming down the Tower Bridge.
09:15I've got a sneaky suspicion on the live recording.
09:17They're just over there.
09:20There they are.
09:24There they are!
09:25There they are!
09:25No, look!
09:30That's so funny!
09:33We've just seen them go by on the boat.
09:35We better get going.
09:37Yes.
09:44Go James!
10:10I think we should go and ask the captain if he can put his foot down.
10:21I think the captain got a message.
10:24Full gas!
10:25Full gas!
10:26alles!
10:33See the!
10:33He isucked!
10:35Cut!去ес!
10:46Geek!
10:48Touch equipment!
10:50All right!
10:51Bratz!
10:52Right! Around
10:52the box.
10:52No vey!見対
10:52bill! It is
10:52told. That's true!
10:56You too. All
10:56right! They're
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.
11:39Welcome.
11:42Easy.
11:43How did you do that?
11:45We have these.
11:47Bicycles, my friend.
11:48We don't have to then rely on other forms of transport to get here.
11:52We could do it all ourselves.
11:54London transport's like the best in the world.
11:57Yes.
11:57No doubt.
11:57But no transport is more efficient than the bicycle.
12:01Well, well done, gents.
12:03Well done.
12:03Well done.
12:04Fair and square, I'll give you that.
12:05It 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.
12:17It was a good challenge.
12:18But here we are, iconic Lee Valley Velodrome behind us.
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
12:29small London becomes when you're on a bike.
12:32Definitely.
12:32It's just, everything is just so close.
12:34It's like 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
12:42bikes on 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, really.
12:50It's really impressive.
12:51Easily.
12:52Yeah.
12:52But that does end this challenge and what a challenge it has been.
12:56But if you've enjoyed it, then please do like and subscribe to the Cycling Weekly YouTube
13:00channel.
13:01And if you have any tips for riding in the city, do let us know in the comments section below.
13:06And likewise, if you're interested in the route that we took across London, we'll be
13:10putting a 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.
