Cycling in London is 'as dangerous as the Third World’

A bike courier who broke the record for cycling around the world says nothing compares to the dangers of London’s roads.

Julian Sayarer, 29, from Hackney, is publishing a book, Life Cycles, next month about his 18,000-mile, 165-day circumnavigation of the globe.

He said: “It’s ridiculous that central London roads are comparably anarchic to minor Third World countries in terms of drivers not indicating, U-turns being spun and the air quality, which is really embarrassing.

“I had some friends over from Paris recently and they were remarking on it. Chinese road culture doesn’t make much of an allowance for cyclists but if you are going on a highway, there is plenty of room.”

By comparison, he said, cycling in central London was an endless confrontation with lorries. “I’m aware that in order to be safe I have to be really, really assertive,” he said. “You can understand why old ladies, young kids and non-assertive men don’t really feel like taking on that challenge every day just to get to work.

“In London there is no ownership of the problem and so much kicking the can between the boroughs and TfL. It should be criminal that we’ve had five [cyclist] deaths already this year.”

Mr Sayarer, who graduated from Sussex University with a degree in politics, developed his love of long-distance cycling by riding through France to Lisbon. He completed the world tour in 2009, beating the previous best of 176 days — although his record has since been beaten.

He said: “You cycle for a day with only your body and this very simple machine, and after a week you have crossed a country. It’s a really empowering thing to do.

“I see it as the politics of the world on a bike. In the US, people assume you are poor. You have got guys on rusty old mountain bikes riding to where there is work.”