It had been raining constantly for the two days in advance of today’s ride, but thankfully, by midday on Friday, the rain had stopped and the streets had begun to dry up. A smaller-than-usual crowd of between 500 and 600 riders gathered on the south bank. A BMX trick and stunt rider entertained the gathering crowd underneath Waterloo Bridge, dressed as a jester with spirals and paint on his BMX.
The ride left south bank at 7:30pm and headed south towards Elephant and Castle roundabouts, stopping at traffic lights and waiting for the rear to catch up, keeping the bloc of riders fairly consistent, The ride then headed out south, passing by Kennington Park, again stopping and waiting quite well at large junctions for people behind to catch up and move off as a block again. There was also a nice diversity on the ride, including some families with children, recumbents, and a handcrank-driven wheelchair.
Leaflets were handed out at the start of the evening, asking people to stay together and not to filter through traffic lights. As the nights draw in and it gets darker, in the past the ride has also been infiltrated by phone thieves. The other side of the leaflet warned people about their potential presence on the ride again during the winter.
The ride then took the eastern fork at Kennington and headed down towards Brixton. The ride went as far south as St Matthews Church, and then young wheelie riders looped back around the triangular junction the way the ride came, straight into traffic, filtering between cars. This filtering continued pretty much all the way back up towards the Kennington Junction, where eventually the ride stopped and waited for everyone to recombine.
The ride drifted back towards central London via Little Portugal, stopping again occasionally where the BMX trick rider entertained the waiting crowds. The younger wheelie riders charged on ahead near Lambeth North station, but the remainder of the ride stopped and waited for everyone to catch up, and the fast riders were gone from the ride. The bloc then headed across Westminster Bridge and along the embankment, finishing unusually at St Paul’s Cathedral on the steps. where people socialised for longer than usual.
