RideLondon set to return in May 2022 with brand new format

RideLondon will return on Sunday May 29 2022 with a brand new format, including a three-day UCI Women's WorldTour race, as Essex County Council replaces Surrey as partner for the event. 

RideLondon returns after the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to the pandemic, but the men's race won't feature in 2022. 

However, the new format includes a three-day UCI Women's WorldTour race, which starts on Friday 27 May. Essex will host the first two stages of the three-day event.  

As well as a new partnership with Essex County Council, RideLondon has also created a new partnership with London Marathon Events. The hope is that Londoners from all backgrounds are inspired to take up cycling, with the event acting as a catalyst for change.

There is also a brand new 100-mile challenge, the RideLondon-Essex 100, which passes through some of London's most iconic landmarks and the neighbouring Essex on a traffic-free route. Starting and finishing in the heart of the capital, the full route will be announced in early 2022.

Entries for the 100-mile challenge ride open on Wednesday November 10, where the intial 10,000 available places are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Entry costs £89.

Once the first 10,000 RideLondon-Essex 100 entries are sold out, a random draw from a ballot will decide who receives the remainder of general entries. The ballot closes on Thursday January 20 2022, with entry costing £89 as well. 

Charities are also invited to enter the special ballot for guaranteed charity places in the RideLondon-Essex 100, which will close on Thursday November 4. 

As well as the 100-mile challenge, RideLondon will feature family-friendly cycle rides over a variety of distances. 

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 working with our partners at Essex County Council and numerous London boroughs to create a truly extraordinary celebration of cycling.”

Brian Facer, CEO of British Cycling, said: “Whether you’ve conquered the 100-mile route for charity, cycled down the capital’s most iconic roads without a car in sight or watched the world’s best riders do battle, everybody in our community has a RideLondon story.

“The event has been sorely missed over the past two years, but with an exciting new partnership with Essex County Council and plenty of new routes to explore, I’m certain the 2022 edition will be every bit worth the wait.”

Established by the Mayor of London in 2013 as an Olympic legacy event from the 2012 London Games, RideLondon is broadcast live on the BBC and welcomes over 100,000 riders of all ages enjoying different rides.