CAPITAL GAINS BIKE VS PUBLIC TRANSPORT

What's faster across London, public transport or pedal power? Steve Shrubsall accepts a colleague's challenge to beat him to Lee Valley

- Steve Shrubsall

On an average day in London, 30 million journeys are made. With more cyclists than motorists now on the road within the ‘square mile’ but public transport still dominating - 1.2bn trips were made on the Underground last year alone - it’s clear that the capital moves in many different ways, with countless different cost, safety and convenience implications. When it comes to getting from A to B, which is the smartest choice? Could cycling actually be a faster, less stressful way to navigate the Big Smoke than squeezing onto a packed Tube?

The question came up just recently over a post-work beer with CW’s lensman Richard ‘Butch’ Butcher. As we debated the city’s best mode of transport, Butch casually threw down a challenge: a race across London - me on two wheels, him relying on trains and buses. It was the perfect chance to put theory to the test.

Going underground

A few weeks later, the date was set and the route mapped out. The challenge: a race from Heathrow Terminal 3 in the west to Lee Valley VeloPark in the east. Once we'd arrived at Heathrow, Butch had the simpler task - head downstairs to the Elizabeth Line, hop on a train, and ride it to Stratford before making the short walk to the VeloPark. On paper, his journey was straightforward: a 48-minute station-to-station breeze. But London’s transport network isn’t always predictable, and he’d have to navigate crowds of commuters, tourists and students making the most of the February half-term.

My journey was somewhat more complicated. Covering 22 miles by bike, I could theoretically make it in 60 to 70 minutes - helped by mostly flat terrain, just 300 feet of elevation and a prevailing tailwind. But London is, to state the bleeding obvious, a frantically busy place. Beating Butch would take speed, luck, and - let’s not dress it up - a touch of madness.

In suburbia