We are truly proud of the work our organisers and marshals did this year. Never before has so much effort been put into researching, planning, testing, liaising, and leading the ride. We are also grateful for the excellent liaison, advice and assistance we had from the Police.
Almost all sections of the routes had to be changed this year. Sadly, we had lost the Deptford start as the venue had to close, and Victoria Park remains too dangerous a location. We added a new start at Hackney Wick, which afforded a private location with food and drink. These changes also meant we anticipated larger crowds to handle at the other starts.
We knew of several long-term road closures such as Concert Hall Approach, and, most annoyingly, the Mall at Admiralty Arch – the ceremonial route to Buckingham Palace.
The biggest challenge was the expectation of lockdown due to major demonstrations in Central London. There was a march and rally organised by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC), their 18th time, and a counter-protest by Enough is Enough. Frustratingly, the PSC organisers left it very late to confirm their start point and even later to confirm their route and destination. Our Police contacts were able to tell us what the protesters were considering, but expected the details to change.
Our planning assumption was the likelihood of a lockdown closing off the central area around Parliament Square, Westminster Bridge, the Embankment, and Whitehall. The PSC start point at Russell Square also suggested they would be marching towards their end-point through the Kingsway, Strand and Embankment areas. It would be impossible for the bike ride to pass through these affected areas.
We set about planning routes that avoided the risky central areas and potential overspills such as Trafalgar Square. Right up to the day there were uncertainties and the risk of other unauthorised activities, so we had to consider multiple contingency options. Altogether we identified 13 possible variations that could be used for the combined legs of the ride.
Additionally, each start leader needed to establish new route options to get to the rendezvous point. For some this meant a shorter, more direct route. For others it was a much longer circuitous ride.
As usual, the lead marshals did a test ride. This time they split up so that they could test all the options then consider what the preferred route would be, along with validating the alternative contingencies we might need to use on the day.
We tested our assumptions and proposed route with the Police who were able to confirm it should work. Details of the chosen route and contingencies were documented and briefed for the ride marshals and our eight-strong professional security team.
Our preparations came into play at the rendezvous point. The Police advised us of a road block where a group of unauthorised protesters had gathered. We needed to wait until the protesters had been moved and the road re-opened. Lead marshals gathered in an intense debate about which contingency routes might be better. In the meantime, our communications hub was busy liaising with the Police HQ. Then came the best news – the route had been cleared and we could go.
There were two alarming examples of dangerous behaviour by professional drivers. One start group, along with other traffic, had been held at the Police roadblock due to unauthorised protesters ahead, who were nothing to do with WNBR. The driver of a Royal Mail van thought he could get on with his job by driving straight through the riders. Our marshals tried to persuade him to stop but it took the Police to intervene.
At our rest point we avoided a “crane operation” closure but were taken by surprise to encounter a giant crane-transporter lorry trying to get there. The driver announced he’d been driving for 12 hours and would drive straight through the resting riders if they didn’t get out of his way. We hurriedly moved the ride on, but then discovered that the rear section had held back, leading to a long hold to wait for the ride to join up.
On reflection, it was a day of success. All start groups joined up. We avoided the other protests, lockdowns, road closures, and other blockages. We reached the planned rest point / toilet break. We managed to route the ride past Buckingham Palace (always a favourite moment for riders), and we got to the planned end point as one group at the planned time.
So, what was the route? If you ask our marshals they could tell you – it was …
options 2B, 3B, 3D, 3E, 3K.