Froome headlines strongest ever field for RideLondon-Surrey Classic
The 2016 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic has attracted its strongest ever field – spearheaded by Tour de France champion Chris Froome.
Don't miss your chance to see the world’s best cyclists battle it out at the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic on Sunday 31 July. Britain’s greatest one-day bike race is back and 2016’s fast and furious showdown will see 150 of the world’s top pro cyclists take on a 200km route through London and Surrey after tens of thousands of amateur riders complete the course this Sunday.
Froome, who is making his Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic debut, won the Yellow Jersey and two stages at this year’s Tour de France and he is one of a host of riders who starred at the Tour to make the short hop across the Channel.
In total winners of five stages of this year’s Tour will be on the Start Line of the Classic, which is the richest one-day race in the world.
As well as Froome (Team Sky), Michael Matthews (Orica-BikeExchange), Andre Greipel (Lotto Soudal) and Steve Cummings (Dimension Data) all picked up famous stage wins during the three-week race.
Cummings and Froome are also two of four members of the Great Britain Olympic road race team to ride the Classic, with Team Sky duo Geraint Thomas and Ian Stannard – who both helped Froome win the Yellow Jersey – also competing.
Defending champion Jean-Pierre Drucker (BMC Racing) will be back looking to defend his title while 2014 winner Adam Blythe will be racing for the first time since beating Mark Cavendish to win the British road race title.
Blythe is part of the strongest Great Britain team to compete in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic. He will be joined by British time-trial champion Alex Dowsett and up-and-coming sprint star Dan McLay who has just completed his first Tour de France.
Also on the Start Line will be former world champion Tom Boonen who is part of a very strong Etixx-Quick-Step team.
In total there are seven UCI WorldTour teams taking part: Team Sky, BMC Racing, Lotto Soudal, Etixx-Quick-Step, Team Dimension Data, Orica-BikeExchange and Cannondale Drapac.
British outfit One Pro Cycling are one of a number of UCI ProContinental teams looking to spring a surprise while there are seven UCI Continental teams that include Sir Bradley Wiggins’ squad Team Wiggins.
There is also the first appearance in Europe for the Rwanda national team who will be warming up for an appearance at the Rio Olympics.
2016 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic full line-up
BMC Racing (USA)
Team Sky (Great Britain)
Etixx – Quick-Step (Belgium)
Lotto Soudal (Belgium)
Cannondale Drapac (USA)
Orica BikeExchange (Australia)
Dimension Data (South Africa)
Topsport Vlaanderen (Belgium)
CCC Sprand-Polkowice (Poland)
Team ROTH (Switzerland)
Caja Rural-Seguros RGA (Spain)
One Pro Cycling (Great Britain)
Bardiani – CSF (Italy)
Wanty-Groupe Gobert (Belgium)
Roompot Oranje Peloton (Netherlands)
VERVA ActiveJet (Poland
JLT Condor (Great Britain)
NFTO (Great Britain)
Madison Genesis (Great Britain)
Team Raleigh GAC (Great Britain)
Team Wiggins (Great Britain)
Pedal Heaven (Great Britain)
An Post – Chain Reaction (Ireland)
Great Britain national team
Rwanda national team
The race will be shown live on BBC TV for the fourth successive year.
2016 Prudential RideLondon Programme
Prudential RideLondon 2016 comprises the following events:
Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix, Friday 29 July 2016, is new for 2016 and the programme features:
Two handcycle races: the Prudential RideLondon Handcycle Grand Prix for injured veteran servicemen and women and the Prudential RideLondon Elite Handcycle Grand Prix for top international handcyclists
The Prudential RideLondon Youths Grand Prix: a programme of four races with a boys and girls race for the Youth B category (open to riders aged U14) and a boys and girls race for the Youth A category (open to riders aged U16)
The Prudential RideLondon Youths BMX Grand Prix for boys and girls in four age categories (for riders aged U8, 9-10 years, 11-12 years and 13-14 years)
Danny MacAskill brings his world famous Drop and Roll Tour, sponsored by Continental Tyres, to the Festival Zone and features the world’s top street trials rider performing breathtaking stunts on a state-of-the-art custom built rig
Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle, Saturday 30 July 2016, offers the chance for all the family to enjoy a traffic-free route on closed roads through central London passing some of the capital’s most iconic landmarks. Everyone is welcome, no matter what their age or ability. Cyclists may cycle at any pace and as many times round the route as they like, stopping along the way to enjoy a range of free bike-based entertainment and activities at seven Festival Zones.
Cyclists are encouraged to register in advance at www.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk/FreeCycle
Prudential RideLondon Classique, Saturday 30 July 2016, is the richest women’s one-day race in cycling, offering exactly the same prize money as the men’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic. It gives spectators the chance to see the best women’s cycling teams in the world battling it out over 12 laps of a closed 5.5km circuit that starts and finishes on The Mall.
Brompton World Championship Final: Saturday 30 July 2016, The 11th Brompton World Championship will see more than 500 riders make a mad dash to unfold their bikes before sprinting off on two wheels to complete up to eight laps around St James’s Park.
Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, Sunday 31 July 2016, will see more than 26,000 amateur cyclists take on a cycling challenge like no other through London and Surrey on a similar route to that of the London 2012 Olympic road races. The Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 starts in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, goes out through London to Surrey’s stunning country roads and hills before returning to the capital to finish in spectacular style on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.
Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46, Sunday 31 July 2016 was launched this year by Sir Bradley Wiggins and has been created specifically for newer and younger cyclists to encourage them to enter their first mass-participation cycling event and enjoy the freedom and camaraderie of Prudential RideLondon. Like the 100, it starts in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and finishes on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace.
Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic, Sunday 31 July 2016, sees 150 of the world’s top male cyclists starting from Horse Guards Parade and racing over much of the same route as the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, with extended circuits of testing terrain to meet international race requirements. Live coverage of the race will be shown on BBC TV on Sunday 31 July.
Where
Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix will take place on the road circuit and BMX track at LeeValley VeloPark in Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.
Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle will take place on closed roads in central London.
Prudential RideLondon Classique will take place on a spectacular 5.5km circuit in central London, beginning on The Mall in St James’s Park, going up Constitution Hill, turning at the top to come down and on to Birdcage Walk, then passing Big Ben and turning left on to Whitehall and right on to the Strand before turning again to come back up the Strand, through Trafalgar Square, Admiralty Arch and back on to The Mall.
Brompton World Championship Final starts and finishes on The Mall and includes up to eight laps of St James Park.
Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 will take place on closed roads in London and Surrey. The sportive will start at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London before heading through the capital and out into the Surrey countryside and returning to the finish on The Mall. There will be road closures, bus diversions and parking restrictions.
Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46 takes place on traffic-free roads, starting at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London immediately after the last start wave of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, and finishing on The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace. It will send riders along Hampton Court Way, enabling 22 miles of the route through Surrey to be opened 30-45 minutes earlier than in previous years. Local access to and from Thames Ditton via Embercourt Road will be maintained all day on Sunday 31 July. There will be road closures, bus diversions and parking restrictions.
Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic will take place on an extended version of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 route. Starting from Horse Guards Parade in central London, the professional cyclists will race out through the capital and into Surrey to the testing climbs of Leith Hill, Ranmore Common and Box Hill before heading back to the finish on The Mall. There will be road closures, bus diversions and parking restrictions.
Visit www.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk for more information
