Sir Bradley Wiggins says RideLondon "a big moment" for his team

Sir Bradley Wiggins says that Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic will be “a big moment” for the team he founded earlier this year, which he will lead in what is the third edition of the event on Sunday.

Wiggins, who rode the race for the first time last year with Team Sky, said it brought back memories of London 2012 where he won the time trial to take his career tally of Olympic gold medals to four.

“It was great coming back to race on the streets in London,” he said. “It holds so many memories from 2012.”

Reflecting on that heady summer three years ago, he said: “Going completely flat out to win an Olympic gold medal just a few days after winning the Tour de France, the crowd yelling at me and the sheer excitement of the day, it’s really quite overwhelming.”

Regarding the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey course, he said: “Box Hill stands outs. We did eight laps of it in 2012 and I remember the crowd lining the road and urging me on.

“I’ve still got every inch of it mapped out in my mind. Hampton Court [scene of his time trial triumph] is a great place for me too.”

At May’s inaugural Tour de Yorkshire, Wiggins was the star attraction, with thousands of non-cycling fans turning out to catch a glimpse of the man who is the biggest name in the sport in the UK, the crowds around its motorhome before the stages outnumbering those at Team Sky’s bus.

“Our Wiggins team has had a brilliant response racing around the country,” he said, “people can see we’re a bit different and the sheer spectacle of us all riding through London will be amazing.

“For me, it’s like a reminder of everything that’s great about our sport. I’m looking forward to just being a part of it and to getting my fitness back up. I’ve had some time off after breaking the Hour Record and my main focus now is the Rio Olympics in 2016.

“Prudential RideLondon is a big moment for Wiggins as a team,” he continued. “We’ve got some serious young talent in the shape of Owain Doull and Chris Lawless.

“Chris is just 19, and finished sixth last week in Belgium riding against Philippe Gilbert and Tom Boonen. It was a fantastic achievement. He was the only British rider to finish the race and is in great form, so keep an eye on him.”

Former world champion Gilbert will be another of the stars on show on Sunday, with BMC Racing one of six UCI WorldTour teams taking part.

The others are Team Sky, Orica-GreenEdge, LottoNL-Jumbo, Etixx-Quickstep and Lotto-Soudal – the latter pair bringing with them their respective star sprinters, Mark Cavendish and André Greipel.

MTN-Qhubeka, fresh from a hugely successful debut Tour de France, are the pick of the 12 UCI Professional Continental teams participating, and the field is completed by six British UCI Continental outfits, Ireland’s An Post-Sean Kelly, and a Great Britain team.

Race director Mick Bennett said: “This is without doubt the best field ever assembled in the UK for a one-day Classic. It’s fantastic for British cycling fans to be able to watch the superstars of cycling race through this wonderful route in London and Surrey. We are set for something very special.”