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30th May 2004 The day of the great Thames Barrier ride dawns Alas … Des is off performing miracles

30th May 2004 The day of the great Thames Barrier ride dawns Alas … Des is off performing miracles Gary’s hopes for one have been cruelly dashed It would be a miracle if Stapo turned up in London Columba isn’t sure if it’s a bicycle or a unicycle And Paul is getting a roasting.

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30th May 2004 The day of the great Thames Barrier ride dawns Alas … Des is off performing miracles

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  1. 30th May 2004 The day of the great Thames Barrier ride dawns Alas … Des is off performing miracles Gary’s hopes for one have been cruelly dashed It would be a miracle if Stapo turned up in London Columba isn’t sure if it’s a bicycle or a unicycle And Paul is getting a roasting

  2. So who does that leave ? Ben and Yusef meet up on the front steps of Waterloo Station, at the appointed time of 1 o’clock. The trek kicks off unglamorously, with a mundane journey through the side streets of SE1 … along Upper Ground, skirting Blackfriars Bridge, through Southwark, and into Borough. They finally hit the South Bank riverside east of London Bridge, before veering back inland just after the London Assembly, to join Tower Bridge Road.

  3. The Assembly, Natwest Tower and Gherkin, from the south side of Tower Bridge

  4. Heading north through Tower Bridge

  5. Once on the north bank, their journey takes them through St Katharine Docks, along the bone-jarring cobbles of Wapping High St, towards the Limehouse Link tunnel, before turning right onto Narrow Street, and finding themselves on the Isle of Dogs. There they finally make it onto the riverside again, and round the imposing facade of Canary Wharf at Heron Quays, before being forced inland again, as they venture south through the badlands of Millwall. Their destination is Greenwich Foot Tunnel, at the bottom of Mudchute Gardens …

  6. They make it through to the Greenwich shore of the Thames by 2:30 pm, and stop off for lunch in the picturesque village centre. (archive footage)

  7. Gary Land, as viewed from Greenwich Park

  8. Looking west towards the City, from Greenwich Park …

  9. … and now panning north-east, towards the dome

  10. The picture says it all !

  11. And now it’s time to hit the saddle again, and press on eastwards towards the barrier …

  12. It’s just a great big tent (archive footage)

  13. Destination Accomplished ! Looking westward, back at the Thames Barrier

  14. Like I said, the Thames Barrier

  15. From the same vantage point, Canary Wharf is framed in a gantry

  16. Onwards and eastwards to the Woolwich Free Ferry, where we cross back to the north bank (archive footage)

  17. Having reached the easternmost extremity of their journey, and not relishing a trip through Thamesmead (Woolwich was scary enough, thank you very much !), the lads head back west after disembarking the ferry, and skirt the City Airport at Silvertown, before once again entering the Isle of Dogs, and this time heading into the heart of Canary Wharf. They stop off at Waitrose in Canada Place, before resuming their journey, and retracing their path back through Wapping. They hit Tower Bridge shortly before 7:30pm, and cross over to Butlers Wharf (runs east from southern end of Tower Bridge). The All Bar One there has an outdoor terrace, and a few draught Leffes with our names on them (apologies for the choice of hostelry, but we’d spent all day looking for a Real Pub with outdoor seating).

  18. Watching the world go by, from All Bar One

  19. The two stars of the show are chained together in the foreground … but Hawkes is oblivious to his panier silently scorching itself against the floodlight on the right of the picture - as he was to discover over 2 hours later.

  20. Looking towards Canary Wharf yet again, from our more accustomed western vantage point

  21. And now looking directly across the river, from our comfortable perch

  22. Serendepity ! After a few more Leffes, Tower Bridge appears to open

  23. Yup, no doubt about it

  24. Sunset over Tower Bridge

  25. The night closes in on Butlers Wharf … and it’s time to retire towards The Anchor, to have one more for the road

  26. St Pauls from The Anchor – it’s all gone a bit wobbly

  27. … but not nearly as wobbly as the Anchor itself !

  28. 10:50 pm - Ben scrambles along the South Bank back to Waterloo, to catch his train

  29. The return to Waterloo completes a round trip of 29.5 miles in 10 hours, just over 3 of which was spent cycling. Badri clocks up a further 12-13 miles, by virtue of cycling all the way from Wandsworth and back again. Conclusions: This was definitely more of an excursion than a serious training trip for the Dunwich Dynamo. We will do it again soon, but this time expect a route which allows longer runs, with fewer interruptions. Dare to be there !

  30. THE END Credits: B Hawkes: For some of the commentary, and for melting his helmet Y Badri: Photography and technical production My handlebar: For coming loose every 3 miles

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