Where To Watch The RideLondon

 

Where to watch:

 

Head to St James’s Park to line the route for the Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix events. The magnificent setting sees riders start on The Mall before racing towards Buckingham Palace, through two tight turns onto Birdcage Walk before taking a 90-degree left-hand turn into Horse Guards Road. The final left turn at the end of Horse Guards Road brings them back onto The Mall for a spectacular finish facing Buckingham Palace.

 

Racing begins at 17:00 with the fun of the Brompton World Championship Final as 500+ riders in an extraordinary range of outfits (no Lycra allowed) open the programme with the scramble of a Le Mans-style start to unfold their bikes and race eight laps of the circuit. 

 

Next up at 18:00 are the professional women, including British double Olympic champion Laura Trott out to regain the title she won in 2013 and taking on last year’s winner Giorgia Bronzini (Italy). The women’s race will be televised live on BBC2.

 

The evening’s programme finishes with a chance to spot the stars of the future with youth races for girls (19:05) and boys (19:50).

 

There are three events taking place on Sunday. 

 

25,000+ amateur riders will start at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park from 06:00-09:00 in the mass sportive that last year raised a record-breaking £10 million for charity. Thirty top handcyclists will race from Kingston upon Thames to The Mall in the Prudential RideLondon Handcycle Classic and the final event of the festival sees 25 teams of the world’s top men race in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic, starting in Horse Guards Parade at 13:30 and televised live on BBC TV. The field is packed with big names including Sir Bradley Wiggins, Mark Cavendish, Andre Greipel and defending champion Adam Blythe.

 

Here are some of the best places to watch the action:

 

The riverside town of Kingston is a great location to spend the second day of the world’s greatest festival of cycling as it is the only town on the route through which the cyclists ride twice.

 

The excitement will begin when thousands of cyclists start to stream through the town from 07:00, approaching the 25-mile mark in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100. Then comes the start of the Prudential RideLondon Handcycle Classic in the Market Place at 08:30 as 30 top handcyclists begin a 15-mile race to the Finish Line in The Mall. Finally, Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish will be among the 150 top professional cyclists racing through the town in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic, returning again late in the afternoon as the peloton heads back to central London and the finish.

 

The Kingston Bike Festival will provide a huge range of activities and events for all the family throughout the day as the town celebrates the bicycle. The Action Sports BMX Display Team will perform in the Market Place, demonstrating the thrills and excitement of this rapidly growing sport. There will also be a big screen here so that visitors can relax at the bars and cafes and watch all the action from BBC TV’s coverage.

 

There’s plenty more to enjoy on Clarence Street, with another big screen outside John Lewis. Have a go on the Giant Tricycle & Crazy Bike Inflatable Race Course and visit the Go Cycle stand to find out more about cycling in the borough. There will be live music at three different areas and performances by the British freestyle unicycle champion and Puncture Kit, the cycle drummer. Try out your cycling skills on Rollapaluza, racing to music on rollers, and look out for the Penny Farthings!

 

TfL’s Mayor’s Vision for Cycling hub will be at Kingston upon Thames for the Prudential RideLondon on Sunday 2 August. Come along to strike a pose on a bike and take home photos, along with maps, tips and advice. TfL staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on bike security, cycle training, route planning, and a new infrastructure. There will also be competitions to win a Brompton Bicycle.

 

When the riders arrive:

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100: 07:00-16:20

Prudential RideLondon Handcycle: 08:30

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic: 14:00 and 17:50

 

“When Prudential RideLondon closes our High Street for a day, Hampton Wick comes out to play!” That’s the message on the home page of the Hampton Wick Festival website at www.hwfestival.org.uk. 

 

The first riders in the sportive ride over Kingston Bridge into Hampton Wick from 07:00 and the pub and cafe will be open to serve breakfast to the cheering spectators. The Festival opens at 11:00 with a tour of the village by Henry VIII and his entourage and the craft fair opens in The Swan car park. There’ll be music, entertainers, dancing and much more up and down the High Street and pony rides, a carousel and fairground outside The Foresters. The Hampton Wick Intergalactic Kids’ Bike Fest takes place at 11:30 followed an hour later by the Grand Parade, led by Henry VIII. Then it’s back to the cycling action as Wiggo and co race through the Hampton Wick at about 14:00. 

 

When the riders arrive:

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100: 07:00-11:00

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic: 14:00

 

This festival takes place every year at Pyrford Cricket Club and for the third successive year celebrates Prudential RideLondon. 

 

There will be a cycle track with bikes for visitors to have a go and, of course, a big screen to watch the live coverage of the day on BBC TV. With lots of different fun activities for all ages including a giant slide, a bungee run, bouncy castles for adults and children and live music, it’s a great place to take the family.

 

Visit www.celebratepyrford.moonfruit.com to find out more.

 

When the riders arrive:

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100: 07:34-12:00

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic: 14:25

 

Dorking town centre will be one of the best locations on the entire route to view the action. 

The 25,000+ riders in the sportive will start streaming along the High Street from 08:40 with the last riders reaching the town just before 14:30. Then spectators will have the chance to cheer on the peloton from the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic as it races through Dorking five times on the circuits through the Surrey Hills. There will be two big screens showing the live BBC TV coverage and a host of street entertainment, including a magician, the Dr Pandemonious street show, balloon modellers, face painters and a clown. A team of Prudential volunteers will be handing out giveaways on the High Street. Spin the wheel on the special Prudential bike for the chance to win – there will be lots of prizes on offer. Head to the St Martin’s Walk car park to watch a thrilling display of BMX riding by the Savage Skills team and try out a range of different bikes and trikes at the CTC Freecycle stand.  

 

The shops, cafes and restaurants in the town will be open for business as usual, offering a great range of dining and refreshment options. 

 

When the riders arrive:

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100: 08:40-14:30

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic: 15:00-17:05

 

The town centre will be open for business as usual and a big screen will be located outside the Swan Centre so that visitors can relax at the cafes and restaurants to watch all the action from BBC TV’s coverage.

 

There will be entertainment all along the High Street with Rollapaluza, racing on rollers to music, a roaming trick cyclist, a magician and live music.

 

The final Hub, where the 25,000+ riders in the sportive will stop for drinks and refreshments, is located at the Swan Centre and marks 25 miles to go the Finish Line on The Mall. It will be a fantastic location to cheer on both the amateur and professional cyclists.

 

When the riders arrive:

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100: 09:05-15:30

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic: 17:25

 

When the riders reach Wimbledon, it’s less than 10 miles to the Finish Line. The Love Wimbledon street party will once again take place on Wimbledon Hill Road with thousands of spectators expected to line the street and cheer the riders up the last climb on the route. 

 

There’ll be displays from the Extreme Wheels BMX team and the chance to try out a range of different bikes and trikes at the CTC Freecycle stand plus live music, face painting, street entertainment and street food. Visit www.lovewimbledon.org to find out more.

 

When the riders arrive:

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100: 09:45-16:50

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic: 18:00

 

There are also a number of official venues located around the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey route, including pubs and cafes, offering the perfect setting to cheer on charity fundraisers or watch the professional race. These include pubs in Norbiton, Kingston, Hampton Wick, Guildford, Dorking, Oxshott, Esher, Surbiton, Raynes Park, Wimbledon, Pimlico and Chelsea. The full list is available at www.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk/community

 

For information on how to get to the Prudential RideLondon events, go to www.tfl.gov.uk/prudentialridelondon

 

An extensive communications campaign is planned to help businesses and the public plan ahead and get around on the day. This included a leaflet drop this month to 1 million+ residents and businesses along the route, drop-in sessions for local people, community access plans and 3 million+ messages of travel advice. Transport for London (TfL) will be providing up-to-date information through the @TfLTrafficNews and @TfLBusAlerts Twitter feeds and on the TfL website to help everyone plan their journeys and enjoy everything London has to offer. Surrey County Council will be providing up-to-date travel information through the @SurreyTravel Twitter feed and and on the Surrey County Council website.