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Fancy a London bike ride on Christmas Day? Mithrismas is for you ...

Ride goes from Greenwich to Edgware Road via Southwark, the Strand and Hyde Park

Will you be in London on Christmas Day? On your own, or maybe looking to jump on the bike and get away from the family for an hour or two to ride your bike on traffic-free streets? Well, the Mithrasmas Ride may be perfect for you.

Billed as “a Merry Dickensian Christmas Day Ride through the Streets of London,” the ride starts by the Cutty Sark in Greenwich at 10am – and hopefully taking in the new Deptford Creek Footbridge if it is open by then.

The ride, created by the late Barry Mason and now continued by Francis Sedgemoor, will pause by the Southwark Needle at the corner of Tooley Street and London Bridge to enable people to join it ahead of starting off again at 11am.

At a time of year when A Christmas Carol – the Muppets version or otherwise – is a fixture on the TV schedule, it will visit locations associated with Sir Charles Dickens, including the site of the former Marshalsea Prison, where the author was imprisoned for debt.

Crossing Southwark Bridge, it will head past St Paul’s Cathedral and down Fleet Street to the Royal Courts of Justice, then through Covent Garden towards the Mall and via Hyde Park to Marble Arch, ahead of a meal at one of Edgware Road’s Lebanese restaurants.

Previously, more than 100 cyclists of all kinds have taken part, several in Santa outfits – organisers say that “active parents are most welcome on the ride, provided that they are accompanied by at least one responsible child, and behave themselves.”

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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6 comments

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chris4567 | 9 years ago
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If you are looking on a map the needle is at the junction of Duke Street Hill and borough high street. Tooley St is below London Bridge.

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jacknorell | 9 years ago
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Is there any sort of Facebook / similar event for this?

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zanf replied to jacknorell | 9 years ago
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jacknorell wrote:

Is there any sort of Facebook / similar event for this?

I also find I cant trust the authenticity of anything unless there is a facebook page for it.

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jacknorell replied to zanf | 9 years ago
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zanf wrote:
jacknorell wrote:

Is there any sort of Facebook / similar event for this?

I also find I cant trust the authenticity of anything unless there is a facebook page for it.

I was looking for possible alternative rides as route not good for me. Now sorted.

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mr-andrew | 9 years ago
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I met my wife on that ride 6 years ago. We shared a kebab and an interest in bikes. Great way to spend the day.

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james123 | 9 years ago
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Nice idea.

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