Tom Bruce

Everyone thinks that their sport is the greatest. 'Football is the best!'; 'Judo is the best!'; 'Underground to-the-death MMA tournaments are the best!' – we’ve heard it all before. Rock climbing, however, actually is the best – it's a full-body workout that revolves around socialising and problem-solving, and it's so fun that you won't even realise you're getting ripped in the process. So here’s a list of great places in London to hang out and get in shape.   A photo posted by rossbonallo (@rossbonallo) on Jul 4, 2015 at 9:03am PDT 1. The Castle, Stoke Newington A Grade II-listed building, the Castle of Stoke Newington (formerly a waterworks) is a massive indoor/outdoor climbing facility modelled on a Gothic fortress. All that's missing is a moat and vats of boiling tar to pour from the parapets onto the barbarians below. The main tower can also be abseiled off for fun – Tom Hardy once did it, so it must be a pretty cool thing to do.   Photograph: Tom Bruce   2. Westway, Ladbroke Grove Right off Ladbroke Grove, Westway is situated directly underneath the flyover. One of the motorway’s supporting blocks is actually inside the gym, but most people think it’s just a really, really big decorative pillar that has no practical purpose. Some of Britain’s finest young climbers train here but the hundreds of routes cater to all abilities. In addition to the top rope and recently refurbished lead walls, there are extensive bouldering areas and a pair of large outdoor climbing s

London’s new Cycle Superhighways will soon be open, but until they arrive many London cyclists must continue to navigate the daily perils of the city's polluted, congested roads. But whether motorists believe it or not, many cyclists are mostly normal human beings with a desire to live. Instead, they are labelled death-wish megalomaniacs because of a minority that engage in the kinds of behaviours best avoided, such as:   A photo posted by Cycle_PS (@cycle_ps) on Feb 16, 2016 at 8:48am PST 1. Wear all black Don’t be a BBB (Blitz Blackout Bandit). That's one of those WWII recreationists whose hobby is to pretend that the Big Smoke is still under nightly siege by Goering’s Luftwaffe bombers. To avoid being spotted by the Nazi fleet above, these nocturnal cyclists take extreme measures by dressing head-to-toe in a black cotton tracksuit, riding a bike painted in ‘Obsidian Gunmetal’, and using no lights to boot. And their boots? Also black.    Photograph: Keeping it real via Flickr (license) 2. Blast the gym playlist The only logical alternative to wearing noise-cancelling headphones for musical motivation while cycling is to obviously attach battery-powered speakers to the frame of your rusting hybrid. And let's not forget the subwoofer in the back. As if inhaling 20 Marlboro reds’ worth of pollution per day wasn’t enough, now we must endure a deafening trap-step remix of Darude's Sandstorm while you roll by.  Photograph: Michigan Municipal League via Flickr (license) 3.