Live in the wheel world: Tour de France-worthy London commuter homes with cycle routes on the doorstep

Chris Froome, Mark Cavendish and co are limbering up for the Tour de France which starts on Saturday.

Cycling has seen seemingly unstoppable growth with the middle-aged being the keenest two-wheelers, followed by twenty-somethings.

Froome is aiming for his fifth Tour title — but non-professionals are searching for homes with cycle route challenges, in locations with do-able commutes plus plenty of opportunity for them to bike it to the station, cycle into London or just enjoy a fun weekend with the family cycling on the open road and finding a trail, hillside or mountain bike track.

Here are three to consider.

TRING, HERTFORDSHIRE

Average home price: £505,453 (Rightmove)

Commuting: 38 minutes to Euston; annual season ticket £5,192

On your bike: pick your own route through the hills, lanes, valleys and woodlands of the Chiltern Hills, or try the trails at the Aston Hill Bike Park.

Market town looks, good schools — including the opportunity to try for Aylesbury Grammar School — and a great commute make Tring an ideal option for commuter-cyclists.

The rolling chalk downs and lush meadows of the National Trust-run Ashridge Estate are beautiful and on the doorstep, and Tring has a thriving cricket club and its own brewery.

Nick Wooldridge, regional director of Stacks Property Search, says buyers often turn to Tring after being priced out of favourite Berkhamsted, five miles down the road.

Tring station is about a mile east of the centre of town, so just a short bike ride.

Tring is a bit sleepy. “It has a very traditional high street, with a good range of shops as well as some newer cafés,” says Wooldridge.

In fact, Tring has a good choice of places to eat and drink, whether you are after a frothy coffee at The Cog Café, a cocktail at The Akeman, or a big bowl of pasta at Francesco’s.

Property ranges from Victorian terrace houses close to Station Road, the de facto high street, to modern new-build houses in the suburbs, and everything else in between.

Further out there are farmhouses and cottage-style houses, sometimes with an acre or two.

First-time buyers could pick up a two-bedroom period terrace house for £300,000 to £320,000 or a three-bedroom ex-local authority property for about £350,000.

A three-bedroom period house in the town centre comes at a premium — expect to pay closer to £400,000 for period features.

A four-bedroom contemporary executive home is about £450,000, while a four-bedroom period house will cost in the region of £500,000. For £1 million to £1.4 million there are substantial four-bedroom country pads with enough outside space to build your own velodrome.

CAVERSHAM, NEAR READING, BERKSHIRE

Average home price: £476,813 (Rightmove)

Commuting: 27 minutes to Paddington; annual season ticket £5,300

On your bike: there’s miles and miles of open space since you are right at the junction of the Chilterns and the North Wessex Downs. Mountain biking trails abound at Waterloo Meadows BMX Park, Caversham BMX Park and Bucklebury Pumptrack.

A 10- to 15-minute walk — and a world away — from Reading town centre is the Victorian suburb of Caversham. This is the place to go for a village vibe and Victorian properties, with all the amenities of Reading on the doorstep.

The commute to London from Reading station is already easy and later this year the new Elizabeth line will provide fast direct links to the West End and City, making it easier.

​Caversham is very much a suburb of two halves. Lower Caversham is where first-time buyers and local upsizers hunt.

Michael Foldvari, director of Winkworth estate agents, says you could pick up a two-bedroom Victorian terrace for £350,000 to £400,000, or a three-bedroom Thirties semi for about £450,000 to £500,000.

Caversham Heights is rather posh, with some huge Victorian villas in leafy streets. A four-bedroom detached period house in the Heights would cost about £950,000 to £1.4 million.

Caversham has its own shops, restaurants, and cafés and some good primary schools. Oversubscribed Caversham Primary School holds an “outstanding” Ofsted rating.

Meanwhile, Crossrail has been a major and much-needed catalyst for investment in Reading. The grotty post-war town centre is starting to look better, and there are plenty of shops, cafés and restaurants, though they’re generally rather chain-y.

DORKING, SURREY

Average home price: £690,666 (Rightmove)

Commuting: 52 minutes to Waterloo; annual season ticket £3,292

On your bike: the 2012 Olympics road race was fought out on the lanes around Box Hill, making it a mecca for cyclists wanting to attempt the challenging circuit that ultimately defeated Mark Cavendish. Gorgeous views from Box Hill are almost worth the thigh-straining climb to enjoy them.

Dorking is one of Surrey’s gems, with a thriving town centre, the endlessly green Surrey Hills and an easy commute to London. And, by Surrey standards, it is relatively affordable.

Peter Clark, branch manager of Barnard Marcus estate agents, says £350,000 buys a two-bedroom flat, with £500,000 for a four-bedroom terrace house, and if you have £750,000 to play with, a four-bedroom detached house with a big garden.

For new-build, Little Logmore, by Millwood Designer Homes is an edge-of-town scheme that has sold well. There is only one three-bedroom house left, priced at £570,000.

Dorking’s schools are excellent. Parents pay a premium to live near St Joseph’s Catholic Primary, St Martin’s CofE Primary or Powell Corderoy Primary. Senior options are good, too.

“Buyers like being close to London with family schools in a peaceful area with not much crime,” says Clark.

Town centre shops are useful and interesting, there are some great restaurants and cafés, with country pubs on the fringes. Michelin-star chef Steve Drake recently opened his solo restaurant, Sorrel, to excellent reviews.

There is a busy leisure centre and pool, a cinema, theatre and annual music and arts festivals.

Dorking has fewer shops and isn’t as pretty as nearby Guildford, but it’s only a 20-minute drive away and property is 20-30 per cent cheaper than in Guildford, which is very much Surrey’s alpha town.