Christopher BarrettAfter a two year hiatus, mass participation cycling event RideLondon will take place on 29 May 2022 with a new format, a new partnership with Essex County Council, and a three-stage UCI Women’s World Tour race.
RideLondon was launched by the Mayor of London in 2013 as an Olympic legacy event from the 2012 London Games, and has since grown substantially. Organised by London Marathon Events (LME), it involves around 100,000 cyclists taking part in different mass participation rides and road races. The event could not be held in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.
LME said it has partnered with Essex County Council and the county will be the joint host of a new 100-mile challenge ride, the RideLondon-Essex 100, which will start in the capital, go out to Essex and finish in central London. In addition, Essex will host the first two of the three stages in the new UCI Women’s World Tour stage race which will be held from 27-29 May.
RideLondon 2022 will also feature family-oriented rides on traffic-free roads in the heart of London. LME said the full format of the event and routes across London and Essex will be announced in due course.
RideLondon event director Hugh Brasher said, “RideLondon has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to cycle more and to date it has raised an incredible £80 million for charities. We are proud of all it has achieved and excited about our plans for 2022 onwards which offer unique opportunities for our commercial partners. We look forward to creating a truly extraordinary celebration of cycling.”