RideLondon 2020 has been cancelled

RideLondon 2020 has been cancelled, the organisers have announced.

The hugely popular cycling festival, which features four sportives and a WorldTour one-day race, has been called off after a decision was taken by the London authorities due to coronavirus.

RideLondon 2020 was scheduled for  the weekend of August 15 and 16, but the organisers said the even has been cancelled to protect public safety.

London's walking and cycling commissioner Will Norman said: "RideLondon has been one of the highlights of the capital’s event calendar for the last seven years, so it is obviously disappointing that it cannot be staged this year.

"This summer we hope that millions of Londoners will alter their travel habits by making journeys by bike instead of driving or using public transport. But it is absolutely the right decision to cancel this year’s event to ensure the safety of everyone involved and we all look forward to welcoming RideLondon back again in the near future."

The cycling festival, which was due to be held for the eighth time this year, features four mass participation events, a men's WorldTour event and a women's one-day race.

Earlier this year, Surrey County was considering whether to continue supporting the event beyond 2020 as the contract to hold the popular event comes to an end. 2020 is also the final year of sponsorship from Prudential.

In 2019, 30,344 amateur riders took part in the sportives, with distances of 100 miles, 46 miles and 19 miles on offer.

RideLondon event director Hugh Brasher said: "We know how disappointing this news will be to the tens of thousands of riders who were hoping to participate in one of the fantastic events in the world’s greatest festival of cycling, for the thousands of charities that would have benefited from fundraising and for the world’s best professional cyclists who love racing on the streets of London and Surrey, but I am sure everyone will understand why this decision has been made."

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He added that all participants and charities who paid for a place in the 2020 event will be refunded their entry in full.

Brasher said: "2021 will be the first year of a new contract to deliver RideLondon and, with the current unknowns about the short-term future for mass participation events and the importance of inspiring as many people as possible to cycle more often, we’re taking the opportunity to fully review the format and timing of the event over the next few months.”