Stodge meets Boris Johnson!

I spent today at Pozzoni’s London office before travelling to Italy for the MTBO World Cup. Being such a lovely evening (and with some time on my hands), I decided to walk back from the office on Old Street in Clerkenwell towards the station. Walking up Clerkenwell Road I was taken aback by the sheer number of cyclists. Streaming away from the traffic lights, where many had stood track-standing their fixies, there were simply more bikes than cars. As I continued to walk, the mini pelotons of commuters did not diminish. There were lots and lots of fixies and not just the previous trend for old hacks. There were some gorgeous bikes going past with striking colour schemes, tiny narrow bars and the ubiquitous single brake lever. Certainly, along Clerkenwell Road there were a lot of very cool people riding bikes that said, “Look at me,” with individuality being the trend.

Very noticeable, too, were the number of Barclays TFL hire bikes in use, with their high intensity flashing LEDs.

Walking along, deciding that I would blog about this phenomenon on the way home on the train, I was gobsmacked to see the person many would argue is partly responsible for this explosion of cycling in our capital, London Mayor, Boris Johnson coming out of an office, helmet on, bike in hand. I could not resist saying, “Hello” and congratulating him on the TFL hire bikes. He even posed for a photo for me. It was so refreshing to see a major public figure on a bike on a normal street, not a body guard in sight.

So, thanks Boris, ride on!