A few weeks ago, our European correspondent Petor headed into London to ride at the 8th edition of annual fundraiser North London Dirt. He ended up riding off-road with rad people in the rain, exploring London’s hidden dirt shortcuts and side quests.
An Invitation from the Dirt Man
“A question: do you know about North London Dirt? Have you ever done it? Actually, that’s two questions.”
I know about it. I’ve never done it. Bonus answer: I’ve always wanted to.
“I spoke to your mate John Prolly and he said it would be a good event to cover for The Radavist. Just need a photographer and a writer… and of course I thought of you!”
Mike Rose is saved in my phone as Mike Rose Dirt, because for years he worked as photographer and later editor at the legendary UK mountain bike magazine Dirt during its golden age.
As a teenager, I never actually bought Dirt, which felt weird at the time. People still read magazines then – real magazines – and I subscribed to Frieze and Dazed & Confused, with the occasional weird art zine like Permanent Food or Turps Banana. I rode bikes – a lot – but I only ever read Dirt, MBUK, and Thrasher! at friends’ houses. Even then, I recognized how beautifully designed they were, on par with the art and fashion magazines that cost twice as much.
Those bike mags felt like they were for real riders, people who were into bikes, not just into riding them. I didn’t feel worthy. Only recently did I learn that UK’s Dirt magazine had no connection to the U.S. Dirt started by Spike Jonze – though the UK version cheekily borrowed the name after the U.S. one folded.
Looking back, what Dirt and MBUK accomplished was genuinely inspiring. So when Mike Rose reached out about covering an event, it felt like an unexpected privilege. And the cherry on top? The event was North London Dirt – something I’ve been wanting to ride since it began eight years ago but had never quite managed to make happen.
Giro, a new NLD sponsor, sent me their Aries helmet – hands down the nicest, lightest, best-fitting helmet I’ve ever worn – and some shoes I promptly filled with mud to match my crusty superbike. Fitting.
Messing Around in the Margins
North London Dirt is a fundraising ride for St Mary’s Community Centre, which supports vital local services like Hackney Food Bank, Hackney Migrant Centre, and Second Chance Café. It’s organized by the infamous Diprose brothers, Andrew and Phil, who have a talent for designing relentless routes through not-so-relentless terrain. They make mountains out of molehills, challenging seasoned riders without actual mountains to work with.
It sounds absurd, but it’s a rare and underrated skill. In or around London, riding can feel a bit meh. Being able to craft your own fun is essential. Spending enough time in the city means developing a knack for sneaky exits, bushwhacked footpaths, and quiet backroads that turn everyday rides into playful exploration.
So while I was initially a little anxious about tackling a masochist-planned off-road ride while wildly unfit and recovering from illness, I was surprised to find I actually had a really good time.
I picked up my Sturdy Cilla, fresh from a complete tear-down and rebuild by Nick at Neil’s Wheels, Molesey’s most low-key but capable bike shop. I’d been wavering between the Cilla and the Drust Heckmeck I’m reviewing, but seeing the Sturdy clean made me feel like I owed it a spin. Confidence in familiarity won out over curiosity.
Truth is, it wouldn’t have mattered. I saw riders out there on everything, from cutting-edge all-road rigs to ancient MTBs. The hardest part of the day? Just getting there on time. Living outside of London now, I wasn’t exactly thrilled by the 6:30AM roll-out, and I rolled up closer to 8:00, bleary-eyed and barely awake, resigned to a rainy, lonely catch-up ride.
To my relief, a few stragglers were still departing. Even better, Harry from Wizard Works offered to wait while I necked two scalding coffees and changed into lycra in the churchyard.
Not Quite Gravel, Not Quite City
We rolled out of St Mary’s yard into a light drizzle, my stomach churning with coffee on an empty belly. As I fumbled with my Wahoo, Andrew’s parting words echoed:
“Wait until you get out a bit – don’t shoot all the grim suburbs.”
But I like the grim suburbs. I was here for condom-filled alleyways and unapologetic urban weirdness.
I don’t know why I expected mountains in North London, but the more I rode, the more I understood: gravel in London is mostly nonsense. But dirt? That’s accurate. That’s the charm. North London Dirt is about embracing the in-between. You won’t find epic vistas or hair-raising singletrack. Instead, you’ll get odd, delightful link-ups: towpaths, back alleys, cemetery edges, parks that feel half-forgotten. It’s less “epic ride,” more “choose-your-own-adventure.”
Even with the route loaded, I didn’t follow it. I just stuck with Harry and a group of riders, getting pleasantly lost in a way that felt like being a teenager again – roaming between house parties, knowing only that the middle part is more fun than either end.
Going Faster, Sort Of
Okay, so our snack-heavy, shop-sheltering womble wasn’t quite the same ride as the folks who left on time and finished before lunch. But the 70-mile short route wasn’t challenging by distance alone.
As the drizzle turned to proper rain, we ducked into a convenience store. Then I peeled off for a shortcut to the main rest stop to try and reconnect with the pack. I ended up missing a muddy river crossing – evidently a trap for mechanical failures – and rejoined the route as others were fixing flats and washing out their drivetrains.
I helped a guy whose freehub had seized. I had no tools, just a tiny bottle of ultra-thin lube I dumped into the hub. It didn’t help right away, but he later caught up and said it started working – intermittently at first, then perfectly by the time he reached the mechanic at the checkpoint. Small victories.
By this point, the Cilla was satisfyingly filthy again, and the mud gave everything that lived-in patina I love. As others paused for repairs or snacks, I gradually caught up to faster groups. By the time I rolled into the finish, I was pushing a decent pace, not racing, but moving. I arrived tired and damp, but not wrecked.
There was pizza in the rain. It was perfect.
More Than the Miles
I had built North London Dirt up in my mind as a punishing off-road grind. Instead, it was refreshingly not that. It was local, low-key, and really, really fun. If you want pain, go ahead – there’s a 90-mile “luxe” route with plenty of extra spice and zero mercy. But what makes NLD special is the sheer variety of people it brings together, all riding their own way, at their own pace.
Great people. Great coffee. Great pizza. Clever, surprising routes. And all of it in service of a good cause.
All profits go to St Mary’s Community Centre, and the event is supported by the likes of Rapha, Giro, Ass Savers, Shimano, Heals Cycles, MiiR, Stohk, Fairlight, Quoc, and Wizard Works.
North London Dirt returns next year for its 9th edition. Book early; it fills up fast. If you’re visiting and don’t know where to ride, reach out to someone who’s done it before (routes change every year) and ask for the GPX.
Be warned: some sections will be utterly unrideable in winter. Which – let’s be honest – just makes it even better.
Follow North London Dirt for updates.