07 Feb 2013

Prudential to sponsor Mayor’s RideLondon Festival of Cycling

  • UK's largest festival of cycling marks first anniversary of 2012 Games gold rush
  • Routes for Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 and Classic races revealed

Mayor of London Boris Johnson, double Olympic gold medallist Laura Trott and Leader of Surrey County Council David Hodge, today unveiled Prudential, Britain’s largest insurance group, as title sponsor of the Mayor’s RideLondon, a new two-day world-class cycling event that will form a key strand of the post 2012 Olympic and Paralympic legacy.

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.

Commenting on today’s announcement, the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson said: “Following the superhuman efforts of our Team GB cyclists last year, thousands of cycling enthusiasts, both experienced and amateur, riding a fantastic route through the streets of our fine city is surely a fitting legacy. I am delighted that six months on from Laura Trott’s breathtaking gold in the Omnium we are in a position to announce the routes and title sponsor. Prudential RideLondon is sure to become one of the world’s top cycling events, the countdown to the start of the event begins now!”

Prudential Group Chief Executive Tidjane Thiam said: “The 2012 Games reaffirmed London’s leading position on the world stage. Today, following on this historic success for our capital city, Prudential is announcing a long-term partnership with RideLondon. I am confident that this exciting, annual event will become both a global showcase for London and a leading mass-participation sporting festival, promoting the values of healthy, active lifestyles for people of all ages throughout Britain.”

Surrey County Council Leader David Hodge said: “Both Box Hill and Big Ben will show off the very best of Britain when Surrey’s picture-perfect countryside contrasts with London’s famous cityscape during the 100-mile event. But entrants should put in some serious training as the hills in Surrey can prove tough if you’re not cycle-fit.”

Laura Trott, double Olympic gold medallist and Prudential RideLondon ambassador, said: “It’s exciting to think that in less than six months’ time Prudential RideLondon will have started and the streets of London and Surrey will be filled with over 70,000 cyclists taking part in the two-day festival. Prudential RideLondon has something for everyone and I hope it encourages more people to get on their bikes and start cycling.”

Transport for London Surface Planning Director Ben Plowden said: “This is an exciting time for cycling in the capital and Prudential RideLondon is anticipated to create another major boost, building on the legacy of the London 2012 Games. The two-day cycling festival will have something for spectators and cyclists of all ages and abilities, creating the largest annual mass-participation cycling event in the UK.”

London & Partners Head of Major Events Iain Edmondson said: “Prudential RideLondon will show off the best of the capital from the historic and traditional to the modern and quirky. Starting in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park close to the Olympic Velodrome – the city’s newest world-class cycling venue, currently bidding to stage the 2016 World Track Cycling Championships – Prudential RideLondon strengthens London’s commitment to build a legacy of international sport following the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.”

Hugh Brasher, Board Director of event organisers the London and Surrey Cycling Partnership, said: “The double announcement of Prudential as title sponsors of the weekend, plus the routes for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 and Classic events, is a real milestone. The challenge for the successful entrants is to get to the start line fit and ready to cycle 100 miles within the nine hour cut-off. Our challenge is to ensure that we deliver a world-class event that inspires the next Laura Trott and delivers on its four-year goal to become the largest fundraising charity cycle ride in the world.”

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 at www.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.

Today’s announcement comes six months to the day after Team GB track cyclist Laura Trott won her second London Olympic gold medal, in the Omnium.

– ends –

Notes to editors

For further information, please contact:

Penny Dain – Prudential RideLondon
pennyd@ridelondon.co.uk

Nick Gower – Prudential sponsorship
Ngower@brand-rapport.com

Mayor of London’s Press Office
2013mayorspressoffice@london.go.uk

James Oxley – Surrey County Council
james.oxley@surreycc.gov.uk
Visit news.surreycc.gov.uk

About Prudential RideLondon

Prudential RideLondon is an annual world-class festival of cycling developed by the Mayor of London, London & Partners and Transport for London in partnership with Surrey County Council. The event is managed by the London & Surrey Cycling Partnership (LSCP), a partnership between The London Marathon Limited (owners and operators of the London Marathon since 1981) and SweetSpot Group Limited (operators of The Tour of Britain).

Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle “COME ALONG FOR THE RIDE” – an eight-mile central London route on closed roads for up to 50,000 people on Saturday 3 August.

Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix “EXPERIENCE CRITERIUM RACING” – also known as Criterium Racing, this invitational city centre loop will provide a focus for professional women cyclists, and youth and hand cyclists, on Saturday 3 August.

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 “RISE TO THE CHALLENGE” – a 100-mile challenge ride on Sunday 4 August, including charitable fundraising, through London and Surrey via Richmond Park, expected to attract 20,000 riders in Year One.

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic “SEE THE GREATS” – Starting in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and following part of the Olympic Road Race route, this race will see the top international professional men take to the roads of London and Surrey in a UCI Europe Tour event ranked at the 1.1 level.

The three-year partnership with Prudential, whose UK business provides financial solutions to over 7 million customers in the UK, will help develop the annual cycling festival into a world class event and deliver on the promise to realise a lasting legacy from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

LSCP, Transport for London (TfL) and London & Partners (the Mayor’s official promotional organisation) will coordinate the significant technical requirements for the event and work in partnership with Surrey County Council, London Boroughs, The Royal Parks, London Legacy Development Corporation, the National Trust, and British Cycling, who will each be integral to the delivery of the event.

Prudential RideLondon will provide a fantastic platform to help fulfil The Mayor’s and TfL’s goal of encouraging more people to cycle, more safely and more often. TfL anticipates that tens of thousands of spectators and participants every year will be inspired to take up regular cycling after each event. This will be achieved by creating significant engagement opportunities with participants, spectators and the media.

Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/RideLondon or Twitter: @Ride_London

About Prudential

Prudential plc is an international financial services group with significant operations in the UK, Asia and the US. Prudential serves more than 26 million customers globally, has £363 billion of assets under management, and is listed on stock exchanges in London, Hong Kong, Singapore and New York. In the UK, Prudential is a leading life, investment and pensions provider, serving approximately seven million customers.

About Surrey County Council

Surrey’s successful hosting of the London 2012 Olympic road cycling events and the Tour of Britain proved the county is adept at staging sporting events with a worldwide profile. The RideLondon-Surrey events will build on the county’s growing reputation as a focal point for British cycling. Surrey will stage 60 miles of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, and 100 miles of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic. Events like these help boost the economy, promote Surrey as a tourist destination and encourage healthier lifestyles among local people. Surrey’s staging of the final leg of the Tour of Britain in 2012 generated almost £7.2 million for the county’s economy. For more information visit www.gosurrey.info

About London & Partners

London & Partners is the official promotional organisation for London. Our company attracts and delivers value to businesses, students and visitors. London & Partners is a not-for-profit public private partnership, funded by the Mayor of London and a network of commercial partners.

Our remit is to drive leisure and business visitors as well as bidding to secure major events in London, to unlock the city for overseas businesses who want to set up or expand in London, and to promote the capital’s world class universities to international students.

Our intention is to work in partnership with organisations in London and across the world to deliver our goal – that London be globally recognised as the best big city on earth.

For more information visit www.londonandpartners.com

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