Now anyone with a Visa or MasterCard credit or debit card can borrow a “Boris bike” after paying a small access fee (either for 1 day or 7 days). Your first half-hour of riding is free, after which you will be charged.

The best use of the bikes is to take short journeys from A to B in Central London.

Since the scheme launched in late July, it has proven immensely popular with Londoners, who have taken thousands of journeys on the bikes so far.

Read more about the Barclay’s Cycle Hire scheme in London.

This week’s Londony video comes courtesy of Transport for London, and reveal the joys of cycling in (a very sunny, quiet, rather traffic-free!) London.

It features Dermot O’Leary, Edith Bowman and three other Londoners called Beth, Mohamed and Kay, along with Mark Ronson’s new single “The Bike Song“.

Let us know if you’re planning on doing any peaceful cycling like this in London this weekend…

London’s long-anticipated Cycle Hire Scheme launched on Friday. Have you signed up yet? Tell us about your maiden voyage!

Whether you’ve joined the Cycle Hire Scheme or not, Visit London wants to know where you enjoy riding in London. Do you like to cycle by London’s waterways, are you an urban road rider, or do you take advantage of the bike paths of London’s many parks and open spaces?

Tell us about your favourite cycle routes in London.

The Olympic road cycling route will start and end in Central London, crossing the river Thames and travelling through South West London and the Surrey Hills in between.

London landmarks along the new 138-kilometre route include:

• Westminster - the route begins in this historic area of London
• Crossing the Thames at Putney
• Bushy Park
• Richmond Park
• A 12.5km circuit of Westminster, Chelsea and Fulham
• The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace – where the race finishes

Read more about this on www.insidethegames.biz

British cycling champ Ed Clancy was on site recently to witness an important building stage in the London 2012 Olympic Velodrome.

Clancy, who became the new World Champion in the Omnium event at the Track Cycling World Championships last month, watched as the huge roof of the Velodrome was lifted into place. The Velodrome’s distinctive double-curved roof rises in height by 12 metres from the shallowest point to the highest part of the structure, helping form its shape, which has been designed to reflect the geometry of the cycling track.

The 6,000 seat venue, located in Olympic Park in the Lee Valley, will host the Olympic and Paralympic track cycling events in 2012. After the Games, the Velodrome will be used by top athletes as well as the local community. The building will include a café, bike hire and cycle workshop facilities.

Clancy also won Gold at the 2008 Beijing Games as part of the record-breaking team pursuit team. He commented: “Becoming World Champion was an amazing experience and a reminder of the excitement of racing at a major championship so it was great to see the Olympic Park Velodrome where I hope to compete on home soil in 2012. The Velodrome is already shaping up to be a fantastic venue and I can’t wait to come back here to help Team GB continue our Gold rush in 2012.”

With the Velodrome roof in place, work will begin shortly to cover the roof and install the outer timber cladding of the venue. The Velodrome structure is due to be watertight by the summer, allowing work to install the timber cycling track to begin in the Autumn. The venue is due to be completed in early 2011. Read more about London 2012 venues here.