Holy Week Cycling Challenge - The London Cobbled Classic!
If you weren't aware, this week is known as is Holy Week. Possibly something to do with Easter, but 100% because it's the week in between the Tour of Flanders and Paris Roubaix. In Flanders and other parts of Europe, this is the most important week of the year, bar none!
However, this being 2020, Holy Week doesn't have quite the same importance this year. Apart from our Zwift Classics Series, there really are no races going on to speak about. This time of year we would normally be running our 'London Cobbled Classic' group ride to celebrate the best of the Flemish classics, and pay homage to pavè that is so feared and respected in the cycling world!
As sad as it is to say, group rides are definitely off at the moment, so the best we can do is give you the route and set you the challenge of taking it on! The finest cobbled sections London has to offer, including a little trip around Covent Garden Market, which will be nice and quiet at this time of year!
The Route:
Strava Link & GPX File - Click Here
Starting at Look Mum No Hands in Clerkenwell you'll head east across some early sectors of pavè to get the hands rattling. From Shoreditch the route winds through Whitechapel and Wapping, over Tower Bridge and into the south!
Heading towards Greenwich you'll take on many sectors before a quick loop around the market, a bit more rumble and then straight up Maze Hill, the only real elevation on the route. Make sure to look behind at the top as the view is pretty stunning (see below).
From here there's a 'dry spell' of pavè as you head back into town and towards Waterloo Bridge. After the Bridge you're bang into tourist central (minus the tourists) to take on a rare loop of the cobbles around Covent Garden. From here it's up through Bloomsbury and back to LMNH... over a couple of cobble sections of course.
Give the route a go and tell us what you think. Be warned, due to coronavirus the 2020 iteration of the route has not been recced, so there may be some road works blocking your path. It should be easy to get passed these and carry on with the route.
Please let us know how you get on and tag us in your photos on social (@dirtywknd). Whatever you do please cycle responsibly and adhere to all current social distancing guidelines. Please don't join any other riders, even if you see other club members on the route.