#Coffeeneuring 2014: Ride 2

Happiness is a rich smooth cappuccino
(with soy milk for my friend Grace)

Destination:  Look Mum No Hands!, Old Street, London
Date:  Saturday, 18 October 2014

Hot drink of choice:  Cappuccino

Total mileage: 56.4km
Bicycle:  Lucy the Brompton

This was our friend Andy's 40th Birthday Ride. 

Some of you may know Andy: he rode London-Edinburgh-London in 2009 and out of that came an amazing little book called Barring Mechanicals. Andy is a lovely guy: gentle and unassuming and terrifically funny. He's also something of an IT whiz. This past year his job has meant he's basically been living in a hotel in New York, writing and fixing code 22 hours a day. So his wife knew exactly what he'd want when he came home: a pootle on his bike with a bunch of friends, ending with CAKE at London's iconic bicycle cafe/bar/workshop, Look Mum No Hands!

So that's what he got. 

Nine adults and one small child joined Andy for a completely impromptu, unscripted tour all around central London, taking in all the tourist sights by way of (mostly) quiet pleasant streets running parallel to clogged main roads. Quiet enough we cycled side by side chatting away and mixing it up and down the group so everybody got to talk to everybody. ("Quiet streets? Side by side?" You don't believe me? Check out TimO's Fly6 video footage. Warning: it's sped up x20 and thus a bit dizzying!)

We were led in our meanderings by one of The Met's finest, a certain sergeant with a distinctive name (and therefore an online alias) who has become rather well-known amongst Brompton enthusiasts.

Huntley Street on the University College London "campus"

You got a mechanical? Out comes TimO's bag of tricks.
This appears to be the mini version. 

St John's Gate

St John's Gate, built 1504.
There is actually a museum here all about the
Order of St John, dating back to the 11th century
and linked today with the St John Ambulance.
Part of the church is 12th century. 

cruising past St Paul's Cathedral

eyeing up the City

Sergeant "Bob" asks for a moment of silence for us to conjure up Simon Legg
(FNRttC compère and London architect) so that we had all the
commentary we need about these buildings playing in our heads....
without Bob having to remember any of it!

One edge of this building is slanted, required by law to prevent one
of London's Iconic (and Protected) Vistas (no. 11 on this list)
from being obscured. (If this kind of thing interests you...
then what do you make of this?)

The evolving installation at the Tower of London: Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red
marking the centenary of the outbreak of WWI.

Gloriana, the "rowbarge" built for Queen Elizabeth's Diamond Jubilee,
is currently moored at St Katherine's Dock

Crossing Tower Bridge

A block of flats in a converted warehouse on Tooley Street, designed by Simon's firm.
(He scribbled the fishes on a piece of scrap paper at the last minute when the original plans
for the metalworks were lost. Or so the story goes.)
Bonus roadworks barriers!

The Shard, as viewed from its base

Birthday Boy somewhat in awe - he'd not been
up close to the Shard before

Arrival at LMNH.
Three Bromptons very nearly fit into this gap!

Andy's new jersey:
Well, what other jersey was he going to get here??

A "hurrazious" day out, as Andy would say!