Bradley Wiggins to race RideLondon-Surrey Classic

Sir Bradley Wiggins will be on the start line for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic on August 2, potentially his first race back since his UCI Hour Record success.

The 2012 Tour de France champion will lead out his eponymous team on the routes around the capital and into the Surrey hills - an event won last year by Orica-GreenEdge's Adam Blythe.

Wiggins will be racing against his former Team Sky colleague Mark Cavendish, who was also part of the 2012 Tour squad.

On June 7 Wiggins eclipsed Alex Dowsett's Hour Record mark by posting 54.526km at the Olympic Velodrome and may defend his national championships time trial title on June 25 in Lincoln.

“Every race wants Wiggins,” said Mick Bennett, Race Director of the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic. “He now has rock star status and generates massive excitement wherever he races.

“We expect hundreds of thousands of spectators to line the route to cheer him on. His team is packed with great athletes likely to feature in the Team Pursuit in the Rio Games next year and they should perform well in a race of this nature.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Huge crowds will once again line the capital’s streets this August to roar on some of the world's top cyclists.

“I’m sure British fans will be shouting even louder at the sight of former Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins shooting past our grand landmarks.”

 Watch Bradley Wiggins pass his minute man in the Hull 10mi TT