London > Northbound

iPete

To tight to pay for the train and as its sunny now I'm cycling up to Bedford tomorrow.

Be grateful if any 'Northerners' could see what parts of the route are like?

I'm thinking I should just jump on the A5 from central and stay on till St Albans but the A5183 stretch isn't filling me with joy during rush hour.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1199020

willy b

No No. A1000 past Finchley to Potters Bar, then Hatfield, Welwyn garden City, Stevenage, Hitchen. From there i'd probably take the A600 (Bedford Rd)

Don't ride too quick though please, don't want to loose any positions on segments!

iPete

Leg.end.

I'll refrain from laying it down with the tri bars for the help...





.... :twisted:

willy b

It's a nice route as well, not ridden the Hitchen to Bedford bit mind, so depending on time you could look around some of the lanes there.

iPete

The second part of my plotted route is nearly all lanes that connects up nicely with your recommendations, perfect!

willy b

Perfect then. Make it a little more interesting a climb Swains Lane at Highgate see how you southern riders stack up on the beast.

iPete

Oh its getting plotted onto my Garmin... http://app.strava.com/segments/swains-lane-620830

*prays for tailwind*

ToeKnee

iPete wrote:

I'm thinking I should just jump on the A5 from central and stay on till St Albans but the A5183 stretch isn't filling me with joy during rush hour.

I, and others, join the A5 West of Lords and just go straight up to St Albans. I like the route: there are plenty of bus lanes and the drivers, on the whole, seem to be a fair bunch.

As you are going slightly East I'll let others suggest any improvements to your route tho.

rubertoe

ipete must be stuck on swains

I was on the A1000 from East Finchley to High Barnet and i didn't get SCR'd by anyone so i assume he must be stuck.

optimisticbiker

rubertoe wrote:

ipete must be stuck on swains

I was on the A1000 from East Finchley to High Barnet and i didn't get SCR'd by anyone so i assume he must be stuck.

He's going tomorrow?

Anyway, the route I'd take would be A5 through to St Albans, relatively easy and painless... then
Sandridge,
Wheathampstead
Codicote, then London Road to..
Hitchin
then the Bedford Road via Shefford to..
Bedford

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1205342

its slightly shorter and 200m less climbing than your original!

I've ridden all of those on club runs and none are too bad, though I've never strung them together into one journey.

Avoid the A6 like the plague, its a horrible road...

iPete

So getting out of London was horrendous! And I've made it as far as.... St Albans didn't even make the fun country lanes. On a pluss side I'll have some legs left for tomorrow. Maybe.

willy b

You not record the route of Strava?

Headhuunter

I cycle to my parents' place in Luton from SE London now and then. I tend to just join the A5 and head on up. Once I went to my sister's place in Malden, I just switched to the A6 (or the A1081 or whatever it's called these days) from Luton...

iPete

willy b wrote:

You not record the route of Strava?

Used my 800! Have returned home now, 75 miles in the sun, thats my cycle tan lines sorted and probable heat stroke as a brucey bonus. Farked.

Strava uploads coming later..