• World’s greatest festival of cycling returns on Sunday 29 May 2022
• Exciting new partnership with Essex County Council
• 100-mile inspiration ride through London and Essex
• Three-day UCI Women’s WorldTour stage race
• Commercial partnership opportunities available
• Full RideLondon format to be announced in the coming months
London Marathon Events (LME), the organisers of RideLondon, announced today (Tuesday 2 November) the world’s greatest festival of cycling will return 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 featuring the world’s best riders.
RideLondon was established by the Mayor of London in 2013 as an Olympic legacy event from the 2012 London Games. After seven editions, it has grown into a record-breaking event, featuring 100,000 cyclists of all ages and abilities enjoying a range of different mass participation rides plus road races contested by the world’s best professional riders, all broadcast live on the BBC. The event could not be held in either 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic.
Following many months of discussions with potential event partners, it was confirmed today that RideLondon will be partnering with Essex County Council from 2022. 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. The full format of the event and routes across London and Essex will be announced in due course.
With the partnership with Essex County Council confirmed, London Marathon Events will start talking to brands interested in aligning with the world’s greatest festival of cycling which reaches a wide range of ages and demographics.
Hugh Brasher, Event Director of RideLondon, 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.”
Brian Greenwood, Head of Sponsorship Sales at London Marathon Events, said: “The popularity of cycling in the UK is growing at an incredible pace. An extra million people have started cycling since the pandemic and the bicycle is viewed by policy makers as the future of transport in our cities.
“RideLondon is a celebration of the bicycle and provides something for everyone – whether it is first-time cyclists or those with much more experience. We believe that with 20 million people in Britain either owning or having access to a bicycle and with the continued investments in infrastructure in our cities, RideLondon is a captivating proposition for brands seeking to be at the forefront of the global move to a more sustainable future and the promotion of healthier, active lifestyles for all.”
Entries for the RideLondon-Essex 100 will open on Wednesday 10 November. Find out more at ridelondon.co.uk.