Vintage markets and a free art festival in the park: What to do in Wimbledon this September
Plus: Need your bike fitted in Wimbledon? We've got just the man for you
Good morning, Wimblers — how are we all doing? If you’ve been attending any Sustainable September events, please do let us know in the comments below.
The Wimble has grown rapidly over the past 15 months, but we want to reach even more of you. Right now, our goal is to hit 10k subscribers by the end of the year, and we need your help. All you have to do is share our newsletters with your friends, family, neighbours and anyone else who hasn’t heard the word. Please help us hit that milestone! And as a thank you for your continuous support, we’ve also got an exciting FREE Wimble exclusive event for our readers. The Caddi Club — who are also sponsoring this week’s edition — have very kindly offered us 16 spaces to have a couple of hours in their indoor golf bays (at their Wimbledon Quarter site). Please drop me an email if you’d like to be one of the lucky attendees: zak@thewimble.com. Scroll to the bottom for more details.
This week we’ve got a feature with Chris Panayiotou, a former professional athlete who has raced all over the world. In February, Chris opened his coaching and bike fitting studio in Wimbledon, and I thought it was high time to pay him a visit and ask a question I have always wanted an answer to: What is life like as a pro athlete? Scroll down to read all about Chris’s story, the magic of bike fitting and the essentials for a healthier life.
We’ve also got your usual news snippets, some great upcoming events (so many events this week!) and another outrageous property of the week. We’re still looking to include a new section called ‘Historical building of the week’, so if you have any ideas, do get in touch.
Happy reading!
Sponsor of the week 🏷
Our sponsor this week is Caddi Club with their new Match Day Deal, where you can get a pint, burger and chips for £17 during all live sporting matches! When pints are starting to come in at £8 in London, I’d argue that’s a pretty good deal. Check out Caddi Club’s website by clicking the button below. Caddi Club also has a Ryder Cup Event on Wednesday 24 September where you can play 2v2 on the iconic Bethpage Black Course in a foursome stroke format! Tee-off is at 6.30pm with limited spaces, so book your spot here.
News snippets 🗞
👷 Merton Council is expected to reset the council’s ‘bold vision’ for the future of Morden town centre, according to their press release. The council has outlined its ambitious new plans to create a ‘thriving new neighbourhood’ that attracts new businesses and investment and build quality and affordable homes in the heart of Morden. Click here to read more about their plans.
🎭 A new production of Annie will embark on a tour of the UK and Ireland, with the first performances opening at the New Wimbledon Theatre in May, 2026. Michael Harrison and David Ian made the announcement last week, and tickets can be bought here.
🌲 A new demountable bandstand in Mitcham Fair Green has just been completed by Charles Holland Architects. The £90,000 temporary pavilion sits close to the site of the previous bandstand, and it will return every summer for a programme of music and events.
🎉 Merton Park Bowls Club raised a staggering £3572.50 for Alzheimer’s Society this Sunday with their very successful Charity Day. Well done to everyone involved! Projects like the Merton Park Bowls Club are essential to our area, so do check out the feature we did on them a few weeks ago and show their website some love (and support them if you can).
Property of the week 🏡
Look at that garden. Need I say more? This seven-bedroom home (two of which are in a detached annexe that’s bigger than my flat) is situated on one of Wimbledon’s most desirable streets. My favourite part of this home is that lovely landing with the stained glass window and period brickwork. But luxury comes at a price. And in this case, that price is £4.95m. (Just call it £5m at this point and have done with it.) Check out more photos here.
The Wimble’s to-do list 🧥
♻️ Sustainable September: I hope that those of you who caught last week’s fashion show had a blast! It was an incredible event that only gets better each year. That said, Sustainable September is far from over. Here are three upcoming events you should check out.
Sustainable Merton’s Repair Café — Bring your broken or well-worn items to this Repair Café for a new lease on life with the help of some skilled volunteers. It’s also entirely free! RSVP here.
Where: The Courtyard, Wimbledon Quarter
When: Sunday 21 September, 1–4pm
Greener Living pop-up market at Elys — This is your chance to discover some amazing eco-friendly products from sustainable sellers. Check out more info here.
Where: Elys, Wimbledon
When: Saturday 20 September, 9.30am – 6pm
Sustainable products market on the Piazza — This market is all about eco-friendly stalls offering sustainable food, clothing and gifts as well as some demonstrations from Lush and discounts for their Wimbledon store. Charity Super.Mkt will also be there selling the best vintage clothes money can buy. Get yourself down to this market for some lovely preloved items.
Where: The Piazza, The Broadway
When: Saturday 20 – Sunday 21 September, all day
🎥 Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour: Do you love adventure? Do you love cinema? Well, then this event is for you. Head to the New Wimbledon Theatre this evening to see a line-up of brand-new short films featuring journeys, intriguing characters and stunning cinematography from the wildest corners of this planet. Book your tickets here.
Where: New Wimbledon Theatre
When: Thursday 18 September, 7pm
🎨 Art exhibition by Michael Alford: Wimbledon Fine Art presents a new collection of art by acclaimed British figurative painter Michael Alford. Pop in to see the beautiful collection for yourselves (spoiler: there are some great paintings of Wimbledon there).
Where: Wimbledon Fine Art, Wimbledon Village
When: Sunday 14 September – Sunday 28 September, 12–3pm
🫂 Understanding Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA): This free webinar is for those with children who are experiencing high levels of anxiety about school and are subsequently avoiding attending. The session will be hosted by Dr Mollie Higgins, a child and educational psychologist with specialist experience of helping young people with school avoidance difficulties. Click here to book your spot.
Where: Online
When: Friday 19 September, 11am–12pm
🖌 Art in the Park: This is a free, family-friendly art festival at Cannizaro Park. There will be an art fair with over 50 artists, a sculpture trail and a creative zone with all sorts of activities for people of all ages to enjoy!
Where: Cannizaro Park, Wimbledon Village
When: Sunday 28 September, 11am–5pm
Ever wondered what life is like as a professional athlete? Meet Wimbledon’s very own Chris Panayiotou 🚴♂️
Have you ever wondered what it takes to be the best of the best? Have you ever wondered what it’s like to wake up at the crack of dawn, day in, day out, and push your body and mind to the limit? And have you ever wondered what a person does when it’s time to hang up the running shoes (or cleats in a triathlete’s case)? Well, wonder no more. This week, we sat down with Chris Panayiotou, owner of Cycling Performance, a bike fitting and coaching studio that opened in Wimbledon South in February. And don’t worry if you don’t know what bike fitting is — this article has you covered. Scroll down to read about life as a pro athlete, the importance of understanding your body, and how to manage the online world of health fads.
The Wimble: Ok, Chris, let’s start at the beginning. What was life like as a professional athlete?
I was always a swimmer and cross-country runner, but I had this early exposure to triathlons through the London Youth Games back in about 1995. It was a fairly new sport back then — it was only introduced to the Olympic Games at the Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics. Competing at the Olympics was a childhood dream of mine. In 2004, after completing my degree in Sports Rehabilitation, I had the choice between starting a career or pursuing my dream, so I pursued my dream.
Being an athlete is a big commitment. There’s certainly a pressure to get better, faster and stronger. And some of the things we take for granted — going out with mates, staying up late, drinking — are not conducive to a pro athlete’s lifestyle. So you have to make sacrifices. Your life becomes a routine of weights, training, sleep, weights, training, and sleep. But there’s something exciting about getting better and seeing your hard work pay off. Above all, I think life as a pro athlete teaches you about resilience, and I don’t mean just physically. You gain this mental fortitude through success, failure, injury and all the highs and lows that come with endurance sport.
Speaking of keeping a routine, are there any spots in Wimbledon that you’d recommend for a quick jog or a cheeky cycle?
I love a quick spin on both the road and off road parts of Richmond Park, it's such a stunning place to ride. Running wise, you can't beat Morden Hall Park for a jog. It’s beautiful. But if I’m doing a longer run, I’ll probably loop out to Wimbledon Common because you can go for as long or as short as you want. The beauty with running specifically is that you can do it anywhere. When I go on holiday, I pack my running shoes and do a quick run after checking in to my hotel. It’s just the best way to see everything quickly and get ideas.
What is bike fitting, and why is it necessary?
I didn’t actually know much about bike fitting until after I gave up racing. I stumbled across a job that introduced me to it, and I was blown away by the difference it made to my comfort and to my performance. The difference was night and day. I used to struggle to ride 80 miles — but I thought the pain was normal. After the fit, I rode 100 miles straight away with no pain. I mean, my legs felt terrible because I’d finished 100 miles on a bike. But the rest of me felt great!
But bike fitting is essentially understanding that we’re all built differently — we have previous injuries, strengths and weaknesses — the fitting process allows you to tailor a person’s bike to address their unique qualities. We’ll get them onto the bike jig in the studio and use video cameras and motion analysis to see what looks good or what needs adjusting. People are spending more and more on their bikes now — anywhere between £1000 and £10,000 — so it’s important it’s a good investment. It’s like buying a stock suit: it needs tailoring. Bike fitting is the tailoring of the cycling world.
You also offer coaching in the studio. What does that entail?
I do a lot of strength and conditioning for cyclists and triathletes, but I also handle what you call “general population training”: when a client wants to work out, to lift, but they aren’t training for a particular endurance sport. Most of my training is one-on-one, and I’m really keen to work with people who are participating in triathlons, marathons and cycling events. That’s not to say that I want only pro athletes in the studio. I love working with anyone who simply enjoys endurance sports and challenges, whether beginner or advanced.
With the world of social media creating a new health trend every week, what advice do you give your clients navigating these fads?
I believe in always being open-minded, but it’s also important to be discerning. I tend to ask my clients the same questions: You’ve seen the simple, free parts of life — the low-hanging fruit? Can you manage your stress? Do you get enough quality sleep? Do you eat a well-balanced diet? Have you got your social network — your tribe — to support you? If people have all of that in order, then these other online health trends are just the minutiae.
Check out Chris’s website to read more about his story and to see what services he offers. It’s always great to support new local businesses, so do get in touch if you have any other recommendations for me to check out: zak@thewimble.com
Question of the week 🔍
Last week, I asked you which band listed had a member born in Wimbledon. The answer: Dexys Midnight Runners (the member was Mick Talbot).
Q: How many restaurants in SW19 are in the Michelin Guide? Bonus point if you can name the restaurant (comment below)
Wimble readers exclusive event 📣
As mentioned before, the Caddi Club in Wimbledon Quarter have very kindly offered us 16 free spaces to enjoy their indoor golfing bays for a couple of hours. It’s a great chance for a handful of Wimblers to get to know one another and enjoy a casual game of golf (away from the rain). Skill level doesn’t matter — after all, I’m there, and I’m terrible at golf. Let me know if you’d like to attend by emailing zak@thewimble.com with the subject heading ‘Caddi Club Offer’. Winners will be chosen at random.
You’re up to date 👋
Thank you for reading this week’s edition. I hope you found Chris’s story and insights interesting. Do check out his website here if his coaching has piqued your interest. Keep getting in touch with ideas, and please hit that share button. We’d love to get to 10k subscribers by the end of the year, and that’s only possible with your help! And thank you again to this week’s sponsor, Caddi Club! Other than that, have a great week, and we’ll see you next Thursday.
Takahashi - such a gem
Takahashi - amazing!