ÉCHAPPÉE LONDON

Old world aesthetics meet modern metropolis. Pre-dawn hill efforts to watch the sunrise over the city from Alexandra Palace.

Brunch at Vermuteria in Coal Drops Yard, chat laps around Regent's Park, then heading back into the city. Grabbing takeaway vegan sandwiches from Gail's Bakery and donuts from Crosstown Doughnuts before finding a spot by the river to have a picnic. No matter your route, it would be punctuated by coffee (Rosslyn Coffee near Mansion House, bike-friendly Four Boroughs at Crystal Palace, and Workshop in Marylebone).

All good rides end with a cold beer at Rotate in Shoreditch.

London is a city of neighbourhoods, and it’s hard to pinpoint one place that makes it all tick.

Hampstead is one of our favorite spots, crisscrossed by hidden backroads, cobbled lanes and gravelly paths through the Heath.

Plus climbs that by urban standards could be considered long.

Highgate is home to the famed Swain's Lane (the site of the annual Urban Hill Climb), but Hillway (one street over) will reward you with views of the city.

It's hard to beat cycling over Tower Bridge or along the cobbles in front of the Tower of London, or down the Mall and Constitution Hill past Buckingham Palace.

Within the core of Greater London, you're either going up (hills) or in circles (Regent's Park and Richmond Park).

Cycling here requires confidence and unflappable calm. You have to find your rhythm amidst the chaos of white vans, black cabs, and towering double-decker buses.

London, though beautiful and iconic, can be viciously urban.

Whether you're commuting to work, training for an Audax, riding cyclocross in the dark, or just looking to share some laps around the park, you will find someone to do it with you.

The community is the single thing that elevates city riding from a chore to a delight. London has a massive community of cyclists ready to inspire you.