Prudential RideLondon will be the largest mass-participation cycling festival ever held in the UK, with over 70,000 cyclists, including some of the world’s top professionals, taking part across four separate events.
To be held on 3-4 August 2013 the festival is expected to give a major boost to the number of active cyclists in the UK, while attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors to London and Surrey.
The exciting events will also help encourage people of all ages and abilities to take to two wheels. Children and families are encouraged to get involved via the FreeCycle event, an eight-mile mass-participation ride which is free to enter and open to everyone.
Prudential Group Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam and Surrey County Council leader David Hodge joined Boris Johnson and Laura Trott in unveiling the routes for the mass participation Prudential RideLondon–Surrey 100, and the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic race for professional male cyclists. Starting in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, the routes pass many of London’s iconic landmarks, before passing through Richmond Park and out into the stunning Surrey Hills – including the testing climbs and undulating terrain of Box Hill and Leith Hill – and then returning to finish in the heart of the capital on The Mall in true Olympic style.
The four events making up the two-day cycling festival are:
The Prudential RideLondon–Surrey 100 to be held on Sunday 4 August. Open to amateur and club riders, this 100-mile event attracted over 55,000 registrants who will find out from today if they have been successful in securing a place. Those that haven’t may still be able to take part through one of the many charities with guaranteed entries, or teams of four (men, women or mixed) from the same organisation can enter the Business Relay, where each team member will ride around 25 miles. Details of charity places and the Business Relay are on the Prudential RideLondon website atwww.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk
The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic for elite men’s professional riders brings the drama of a classic one-day style of racing back to Britain for the first time in 16 years. To be held on Sunday 4 August, the 140 mile route includes all the highlights of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 route plus the testing challenge of three ascents of Leith Hill, the highest point in Surrey and even steeper than Box Hill.
The Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix to be held on Saturday 3 August, which will feature the world’s best women, junior and hand cyclists in action on a circuit in and around St James’s Park.
The Prudential RideLondon Freecycle to be held on Saturday 3 August. This eight-mile mass-participation ride is free to enter and open to cyclists of all ages and abilities. It aims to encourage anyone inspired by the London 2012 Games to take up cycling as part of an active and healthy lifestyle. Register now at www.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk it’s free!
Highlights of the Prudential RideLondon festival and live coverage of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic will be shown on BBC TV. An international promotional campaign will attract hundreds of thousands of spectators, global TV audiences and substantial economic benefits. It will also provide a long term source of income for investment into improving conditions for cycling in London and into other cycling initiatives.
