The Long Road to Esher

*PLEASE READ BEFORE SIGNING UP - THIS IS NOT A LEISURELY RIDE*
One of our longest, fastest and most roadie rides yet – we cycle to the village of Esher, in Surrey, using a lot of normal-traffic roads, some of them fairly busy. We aim to keep at a steady pace with an average 10-12mph speed throughout the route which is much faster than our usual - yet, it is not a race or a cycling club speed. You need to be confident in traffic and able to keep up with the pace and the long distance, and for that reason this isn’t suitable for beginners.

We will cut through Ealing, Syon Park and Twickenham until we reach Bushy Park. We will stop here for a few minutes for a quick coffee break and finish crossing the park after that.

We will then go over the river on Hampton Court Bridge and soon enough will be cycling along Sandown Park until we are in West End Park in Esher, where we stop to admire a beautiful view of the pond. We carry on to Esher High Street and stop for lunch at the cycling cafe G!ro. Most roads here are country lanes with speedy traffic and no cycle lanes – we will cycle on a single file for long stretches.

After our break, we come back through Hampton Court again, this time to cycle along the Thames Path and join Hampton Court Park at the other end of Long Water, which isn’t very explored by cyclists. Skinny tyres may suffer here, but we don't stay on gravel for long and the rest of the unpaved paths are fairly smooth. We come out of the park reaching Teddington and St Margarets, crossing Twickenham Bridge and cycling along Kew until we are in Chiswick High Street, returning to Roundwood Park through Acton.

This is a long day, and we aim to be back before 5pm. Bring snacks for mid-ride.

If you find this ride fully booked, get in the waiting list as spaces always become available nearer the date. However, please do not sign up if you’re not sure you can join.


IMPORTANT POINTS: *Helmets aren't compulsory but advisable. *Check that your tyres are pumped and bring a spare inner tube and all necessary tools in case of a puncture. *If you can't make it anymore, cancel your space so someone else can join. *We have a 3-strike policy: those who don’t cancel but don’t turn on the day of the ride 3 times will be banned from booking on other rides. *Only riders who booked themselves on the ride will be allowed to join. *Unless the weather takes a nasty turn making it unsafe or unpleasant to cycle, this ride will go ahead even if it rains. Dress for the weather and bring a raincoat just in case. *We sometimes video record our rides which are later published on YouTube. By joining our rides, you are authorising your image to appear on the video and photos.