I rode across Central London last week in the middle of a Tube strike. I’ve experienced this before, and it’s always the same. On the one hand, there are cycling groups saying it’s an opportunity to promote cycling. And on the other hand there is reality.
Cycle commuting in London is often weirdly competitive. For Tube strike days, it’s worse. On the Embankment I saw a group of six riders on road bikes jostling for prime spot on the wheel of a Deliveroo rider on an illegal e-bike, and honestly the only thing that was missing was Sirs Jason Kenny and Chris Hoy. And let me tell you, if they had been there, they’d have been swamped. Inexperience joins forces with rage and produces a level of sporting aggression that would make Marianne Vos politely ask if she could be excused.
