- World’s greatest cycling festival returns to capital for first time since 2019
- On Sunday 29 May thousands of cyclists will take on series of challenge rides
- Routes will take riders into Essex for the first time
- Residents, businesses and communities encouraged to plan ahead to minimise impact of road closures
Excitement is building as the return of RideLondon, the world’s greatest cycling festival, is now just one month away.
RideLondon returns on Sunday 29 May after three years away with a new-look format and a new partnership with Essex County Council, with new routes that take the event from London to Essex and back for the first time.
The event is held on traffic-free roads in central London, east London and Essex and people are being reminded to plan ahead for any travel plans on Sunday 29 May.
Thousands of people will take part in the mass participation rides included in the RideLondon programme on Sunday 29 May – with entries still open for RideLondon FreeCycle, the free, family-friendly ride that takes place in central London.
The full list of mass participation events is:
- RideLondon-Essex 100: the 100-mile challenge will start on Victoria Embankment in central London, head into Essex via Epping Forest where it will follow a section of the Stage Three of the 2014 Tour de France route, before heading back to London and an iconic finish at Tower Bridge.
- RideLondon-Essex 60: a mid-level ride that follows the same route as the 100-mile challenge for the first 32 miles before it reaches Ongar, in Essex, and then turns back towards central London and the Tower Bridge finish.
- RideLondon-Essex 30: a mass participation ride for those just getting into cycling which, like the 100 and 60, starts on Victoria Embankment and heads north-east through London before reaching Woodford and turning back for the Tower Bridge finish.
- RideLondon FreeCycle: FreeCycle provides people of all ages and abilities the chance to cycle along eight miles of traffic-free roads in central London, travelling along some of the capital’s most iconic streets and past iconic landmarks. To enter, visit ridelondon.co.uk/our-rides/ridelondon-freecycle
Kevin Nash, Route Director of RideLondon, said: “We are now just one month away from the return of RideLondon with an exciting new format, new routes and a new partnership with Essex County Council. The new routes showcase some of London’s most famous landmarks and Essex’s most picturesque communities and rolling countryside and we expect more than 25,000 riders to participate on the day, raising millions for charity
“The footprint of the event is considerable with 100 miles of road closures in London and Essex for the mass participation rides and further closures in central London for FreeCycle. We encourage everyone planning to travel in London and across Essex to go to ridelondon.co.uk/road-closures to plan ahead for the day. There’s also information about the best places to watch and enjoy the day”
Full details of the road closures can be found at ridelondon.co.uk/road-closures
In addition to the mass participation rides, 2022 RideLondon includes the first ever three-stage RideLondon Classique, the UCI Women’s WorldTour race for the best female riders in the world.
The first two stages take place in Essex and the final stage in central London. The full stages are:
- Stage One, Friday 27 May: Maldon to Maldon
- Stage Two, Saturday 28 May: Chelmsford to Epping
- Stage Three, Sunday 29 May: Central London
Stages one and two of the RideLondon Classique does require full road closures but for a short period on the route and longer closures in some town centres
RideLondon is organised by London Marathon Events. The partnership with Essex County Council means projects in Essex which inspire activity will become eligible for funding from The London Marathon Charitable Trust (The Trust). During the seven years the event was held in Surrey, £5 million was granted by The Trust to organisations across the county. Full details of the funding available to Essex organisations and how to apply will be announced in May.
RideLondon is a 2012 London Olympic Games legacy event and has raised more than £80 million for charity since its first edition in 2013. It has also inspired 140,000 new or lapsed cyclists to take up cycling.
