The Cake & Coffee Cruise with BikemindedRBKC...

After all the ideas and planning, the inaugural BikemindedRBKC Cake & Coffee Cruise took place on the 24th September. Having taken part in the practice-cycle with Kathryn a few weeks ago, I was very excited about how the event would go with the group of invited cyclists & bloggers on the day. The Boy* and I arrived at Pedlars which was the meeting place for the Cruise, and were welcomed by a scene of bicycles & a lot of chic looking cyclists! Beautiful sunshine and smiles appeared to be the order of the day as we had a meet-and-greet session outside over some Flat Whites with our fellow riders.

This was a fantastic opportunity to meet other cyclists and put faces to Bloggers & Tweeters that I follow. It was excellent to finally meet Andreas of LondonCyclist (I didn't manage to get a picture of you - sorry Andreas if you're reading this!) & Tom of I Bike London & CycleHoop, who also provided the amazing Car Bike Rack for all of our bicycles for the day! I also finally met the lovely Jemma of "Help! My Chain Came Off!" and Tillie from "Tillie & Coco" - a blog that I recently found & am fond of already.

For just over two hours, we cruised around Kensington & Chelsea at a nice relaxed pace on our bikes. Assisted by the Marshals Bikeminded had organised for the day, there was the chance to ride through the traffic & quiet back roads and have the chance to take in some of the beautiful architecture and sights the area has to offer. Of course, the main events of the cruise were the delicious cake-stops that were planned for the day - essential sweet-sustenance to keep us all going!

Our first stop was at Buttercup - a lovely little independent bakery that focuses on mainly on Cupcakes. We were treated to these dainty Chocolate and Zucchini ones, which were amazing! They were quite an intense hit & a really interesting flavour combination - certainly worth the cycle...

The next stop was one that I can't deny being rather excited about... the Pierre Hermé boutique in Knightsbridge! After having a taste of them on the test ride & falling utterly in love with the Macarons, & knowing that French Vogue once dubbed Pierre as "The Picasso of Pastry", I couldn't wait for the return visit...

The group was given an informative talk on the history of Pierre & his Macarons and was then invited to choose a flavour to taste. Although very tempted to have an Olive Oil and Vanilla one again, I simply had to try the Pistachio...

... this is my favourite flavour of Macaron and as I didn't try this the 1st time round, it was only right to sample the nutty delight... and it was absolutely delicious!

Cycling on from Knightsbridge and heading to our next cake-destination, The Boy kindly took a photo of my cycle-wardrobe for the day. I guess being so pre-occupied with sweet-treats I was a bit distracted to remember to do this! As it was a sunny afternoon, I went with a touch of yellow...

Aviator Sunglasses: Chanel

Gold Tusk Earrings: Topshop

Dinosaur Necklace: Tatty Devine

Dress: Miss Selfridge

Leggings: Topshop

Sandals: Carvela

(and if you look carefully, you can just about see my new Tattoo...)

Riding on, our next destination was Cocomaya, a beautiful Artisan Bakery which could lure you in just with the aromas wafting from the shop! 

We were treated to a lovely Sponge Slice , which was very moist and  packed with fruit... and yes, it really was as yummy as it looks!

Before arriving to our final destination, I had the chance to cycle with the ultimate Chelsea Girl blogger, who is also one of Bikeminded's Bike Heroes - the fabulous Miss KingsRoadRocks!

We swapped bikes for the last part of the ride as I was immediately taken with her Brompton when I saw it! The colour scheme was awesome, and as I've been thinking about getting one as my "wizz around town" bike (sssshhh - don't tell my Pashley I said that!), it was fantastic to have a proper ride on one. I must say, that KingsRoadRocks looked stunning on my Pashley!

Our final stop on the Cruise was another that I was really looking forward to. We arrived at Kings Road, and locked all our bikes to the ingenious Car Bike Rack provided courtesy of CycleHoop, and made our way to the The Chelsea Teapot. Located towards the end of Kings Road, this beautiful shop had the perfect ambiance for a group of happy cyclists who all needed a perfect cup of tea after a wonderful ride.

The High Tea Chelsea Teapot laid on for us was simply stunning. From the gorgeous Bone China teacups and saucers to the delicious sandwiches, cakes and cream teas, it was fantastic. I was over the moon to see that Cucumber Sandwiches were on the table, as I'd developed quite a hankering for these after having them on the Tweed Run! I hope to do a return cycle-visit to the Teapot for lunch with The Boy... we were very taken with this place along with the very warm and friendly staff.

The brilliant news is that another Cake & Coffee Cruise will be taking place on the 8th October 2011, and it only costs £5.... yes - that's just FIVE POUNDS to sample some of the finest cakes in London, be marshalled through the traffic so you can ride at a nice, relaxed pace and meet other like minded cyclists!

The Cake and Coffee Cruise was a brilliant day, and BikemindedRBKC / Kathryn did a awesome job of organising the event. The route was enjoyable, cake stops amazing & the company brilliant. It's a fantastic way to discover parts of the Borough that you may never have known before, along with finding new places to discover sweet-treats and of course, cycle away the calories too! I'm honoured that I was able to help in the planning of this event, and work with Kathryn on such a fantastic idea.

*Many thanks to The Boy for once again providing his excellent photography skills for my blog!
Additional photos (more to be added) can be viewed in this Flickr Set.