The Tweed Run is the most coveted and highly anticipated annual cycle ride in the UK. A one of a kind event where participants don their finest tweeds and brogues and cycle through London, stopping along the way to take tea, have a picnic and ending with an old fashioned knees-up in the afternoon.
SCHEDULE OF THE DAY
THE MORNING MUSTER
The gathering at the start of the ride is a fun part of the day. Participants assemble in a beautiful square or park in London. 2017’s ride started at Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings, opposite Spa Fields, where there was also a special participants only pre-ride brunch. Previous starting points have included Trafalgar Square, Somerset House, Covent Garden, St Paul’s Cathedral and the square in front of the Royal College of Art.
As riders begin to arrive, excitement builds. There is entertainment provided, and breakfast sandwiches, and tea and coffee are on offer. At the starting time there is a short encouragement from a bugler and a wave of the Tweed Run flag sets us off onto the streets of London.
THE RIDE
The Tweed Run is a very special event to witness. Imagine 750-1000 cyclists, immaculately clad in tweed, descending on Regent Street. It’s a spectacle so out of the ordinary and exceptional that crowds always form along the route. Shoppers and retailers line the streets, and locals and tourists alike excitedly snap photos and viral videos as a sea of tweed rolls down the major thoroughfares of London. The public can follow our progress via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram feeds.
TAKING TEA
At about one third of the way through the ride, we stop for a quick refreshing ice tea. The location for the tea break is not announced to the public, as it is for riders only. It is a quick and refreshing pause akin to those once found in country sportive cycle races of the 1930s and 1940s.
THE PICNIC STOP
First trialled at the 2013 event, the Tweed Run Picnic Stop was an instant success. Imagine a picnic, concert and village fete all rolled into one. We stop for 90 minutes, and participants are welcome to bring their own picnics or pre-purchase a picnic hamper prepared for them and brought along by the organisers for collection at the lunch stop. Entertainment is laid on by various sponsors, and it’s a lovely opportunity to mingle with your fellow riders.
THE END CEREMONY
The ride finishes off at a beautiful park, where we offer participants a cocktail and a bit of a knees up at The Closing Ceremony.
PRIZES
The prize categories for which all participants are eligible are:
- Best dressed man –
- Best dressed woman –
- Best vintage bicycle –
- Best dressed bicycle –
- Best moustache –
- Best head gear –
ETIQUETTE GUIDE
“Distrust any enterprise that requires new clothes.” Henry David Thoreau.
Now look here, proper attire is expected. The term “overdressed” does not exist in our vocabulary. Tweed suits, plus fours, bowties, and jaunty flat caps are all encouraged.
Do your best for the highly-prized Best Dressed Man and Best Dressed Woman prizes. Suggested attire: woollen plus fours, harris tweed jackets, fair isle jumpers, alpaca coats, merino wool team jerseys; cycling skirts and perhaps a sporty cycling cape for the ladies, cravats or ties for gentlemen, and a sneaky hip flask of sustenance for afterwards. A small tip: we have found bowler hats a spot more aerodynamic than top hats.
We do our best to avoid inclement weather, but our Fair Isles can sometimes throw a horror in our faces. A full-sized umbrella is difficult on a bicycle, but a sturdy macintosh or cape might not go amiss.
Dust off your vintage velocipede for the ride; prizes awarded for Best Vintage Bicycle. If your bike isn’t quite a classic, try your hand at the Best Decorated Bicycle competition. And of course don’t forget our world-famous Best Moustache prize – open to both men and women, of course.
We stop for a spot of tea along route. Pinky up or pinky down, with milk or with lemon, these are choices each one of us must make for themselves. But the main thing is to not rush one’s self. Afternoon tea is one of life’s great luxuries.
Of course dining al fresco is an art all of its own, and we encourage you to pack a beautiful picnic basket for our Picnic Break. Dispense with the good silver, but do remember to pop a colourful blanket in the basket!
For more sartorial ideas, follow the link to our friends at Cordings, experts in the art of proper tweed outfits.
