riding a bike in london

On the weekend i bought a new bike! (well, a second hand bike) and today (after a false start yesterday which involved me crying on the footpath cause i couldn't work my lock) i rode my bike to work for the first time!

it was amazing.

i live about 4kms from my work, down a huge, scary, busy, bus-filled street called Bishopsgate. To add scariness factor, there's also a shitload of road works going on there (to be ready to impress the world for olympic times no doubt).
But never fear, when I got onto the big scary road, there was a huge bunch of savvy cyclists heading in the same direction and i sort of joined a gang. like a fun bunch of cycling comrades, joined together against the scary buses and evil pedestrians (how quickly one's alliances change, eh?)

In London, cyclists are allowed to go right to the very front of the queue at traffic lights... a rule i've always hated from a bus/cab perspective cause they take so long to get moving when it turns green... but, in my new life as a cyclist in a cycling gang, it's the greatest thing ever. The whole gang met at each traffic light and then we'd set off again together: the girl in the green coat and the mulberry bag in her basket, the man wearing a helmet, the man wearing a suit on a Boris Bike, the man with the speedy racer bike who was the fastest off the blocks each time. Yep, we were a sweet gang. Along the way, some dropped off, some were added but it was such a fun, quick, nice way to get to work. win.

My new bike is the best thing about this week. I'm almost looking forward to work tomorrow so i can join a cycling gang again.

London spring cycling is going to be awesome.

xx