I walk to work every day and every day I take my life in my hands owing to cyclists who believe that they not only have a right to cycle on the pavements of Wanstead but that I as a pedestrian am an unacceptable and annoying obstacle.

There is a point each year, I have noticed, at which the cycling traffic on the pav-ements increases dramatic- ally and the attitude of those cycling hardens considerably.

This usually coincides with an improvement in climatic conditions; when the sun comes out for a few days signalling summer has, briefly, arrived.

This moment occurred last week on my route and with the Tour de France passing through the borough this week I did momentarily think last Tuesday that it had arrived early.

Men – for it is mostly men – whiz by me at considerable speed, with their wrap-around sunglasses (obviously restricting their brains), phallic head gear and clad in Lycra (Lycra is flattering on about one per cent of the population and none of those are to be found bombing along the streets of Wanstead) they cut a ridiculous and dangerous figure on our streets.

I would therefore like to respectfully ask all those wannabe Bradley Wiggins clones to have a little consideration for pedestrians and the law and stick to the road.

After all, I don’t recall seeing those Lycra-clad Tour de France participants dodging school children and elderly shoppers while speeding along a local high street.

Christopher Bowles, Wanstead