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Surrey County Council launches consultation into future of RideLondon events taking place on its roads

Council's cabinet will decide whether to continue to host event from 2021-25...

Surrey County Council (SCC) has launched a public consultation over whether it should continue to host events forming part of the UK’s biggest annual cycling event, Prudential RideLondon.

The current agreement for the county to host the event expires this year, and the consultation will help the council decide whether to continue to stage it during the following five years.

Currently, the routes of four events, all taking place on the Sunday, take in roads in Surrey, including the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic men’s elite race.

That race follows the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 sportive and the shorter 46- and 19-mile mass participation rides, which last year attracted more than 30,000 participants, with the weekend-long event described as “the world’s greatest festival of cycling.”

Opening its consultation, the council said: “Views are now being sought on the event to inform an SCC Cabinet decision on whether the event continues in Surrey from 2021 until 2025.

“If the Cabinet agrees not to host the event in Surrey, we are committed to run the event for the last time in 2021 in order to enable the event organisers enough time to find an alternative host.

“If the event continues to be hosted by Surrey it would be along a similar route with possible changes for operational reasons.”

Many local residents and businesses in Surrey support the event, with a carnival atmosphere in many places along the route.

However, day-long road closures affecting a number of towns and villages in the county as well as the areas around Box Hill and Leith Hill have seen the event come under criticism from some people living in the area.

As well as allowing supporters of the event to express their backing, the consultation will give opponents of the event an opportunity to air their grievances.

The council however underlined some of the benefits that the event brings to the county.

“As well as riders and their supporters visiting Surrey on the day of the event, many riders visit the area on a year round basis to cycle benefiting the local economy,” it said.

“TV coverage has highlighted the beauty of Surrey firmly establishing the county as one the UK’s top cycling destinations.

“London Marathon Events Ltd, the majority owner of the London and Surrey Cycling Partnership which organises the event, award grants through the London Marathon Charitable Trust each year to recreational projects which encourage people to become or remain active, primarily in areas where events have taken place.

“This is as a thank you to communities for their support. In the last round of funding in July 2019 grants totalling £500,900 were awarded to eight projects in Surrey.

“Since 2013 more than £4,300,000 in grants have been awarded to 70 projects in Surrey as a direct benefit of Prudential RideLondon.”

The event, billed as a legacy of the London 2012 Olympic Games, made its debut in 2013 and up to and including the 2018 edition had raised some £66 million for charity.

Held this year on the weekend of 15-16 August, with events in the centre of the capital on the Saturday including the Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle and the Prudential RideLondon Classique elite women’s race,

Sunday’s events start with riders setting off early on the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, with the course taking in Surrey towns including Weybridge, Dorking, Leatherhead and Esher, which are also on the route of the professional race later in the day.

The consultation, which you can find here, remains open until Sunday 16 February 16.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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16 comments

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Awavey | 4 years ago
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whilst the event does raise alot of money for charities, I wouldnt want it to be the message that stuck that its purpose was just a big charity ride.

Lots of cyclists tackle it,as they do any sportive, just as part of their own journey through cycling as a personal achievement goal, and it can make you feel a total fraud when people on the course are offering you their support and encouragement as they think you are riding for some charity who will benefit from it, when the reality is nothing like that.

I do think the Womens race should be expanded to be a proper road race,which you could cover with a standard rolling road block, as could the mens race if they shifted it away from the same day as the sportive, & then you could minimise the length of road closures needed.

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ChammyTheMoney | 4 years ago
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It would be a crying shame if they stopped running this, in my opinion. I've not done it myself (though I have entered for the last three years!) but I think it does a massive amount to help raise awareness of cycling and introduce new cyclists to the streets. Granted, I may be biased as a London based cyclist, but it certainly doesnt help the image of cycling if they stop running the event. 

Hopefully everyone on here will enter some responses to the consultation in support of the event! (You don't have to live in Surrey to contribute.)

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kevvjj | 4 years ago
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This event raises a massive amount for various charities - they will be having there say, no doubt. The funding for projects needs more publicity - I have ridden the event three times and was not aware of grants etc.

I have to disagree with Brightspark. I have friends with families along the route and they all love the event and make it a family day out - they have no problems getting to the viewpoints, they park and then walk or cycle the rest. There are marshalls that allow you to cross the road when safe. Indeed they will even hold up the riders occasionally to do this (I have experience of this).

I do think a slightly different route could be done and perhaps if there were three different routes that alternated each year this would minimise the impact for those on the current route.

It will still run, there's way too much oney at stake for Surrey to let it go elsewhere.

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crazy-legs replied to kevvjj | 4 years ago
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kevvjj wrote:

I do think a slightly different route could be done and perhaps if there were three different routes that alternated each year this would minimise the impact for those on the current route.

It will still run, there's way too much oney at stake for Surrey to let it go elsewhere.

I can see your point of view but there's an argument there to say that the London Marathon doesn't change its route to cater for NIMBYs so why should RL? However there's also the counter argument (as you say) to appease the NIMBYs and maybe keep the route a bit fresh. People do like familiarity though and giving people the chance to compare times over the same course year after year is quite appealing to some.

Be interesting to see what comes of it though. Originally, the contract was only for 5 years remember so they're way past that.

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Jetmans Dad replied to crazy-legs | 4 years ago
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crazy-legs wrote:

I can see your point of view but there's an argument there to say that the London Marathon doesn't change its route to cater for NIMBYs so why should RL?

To be fair the London Marathon doesn't actually go outside the city of London, and mostly covers areas where the bulk of occupation is non-residential so there isn't really a straight comparison between the two. The problem with a 100 mile ride is that you have a minimum of 100 miles (generally quite a bit more factoring in some of the side road closures in the city itself) of roads closed for multiple hours, so the potential for NIMBYism is greatly magnified. 

Maybe a genuine RideLondon which was multiple laps of a shorter course within the city would work, but there are those (me included) for whom one of the attractions of the event is getting out into the Surrey Hills and testing yourself on the likes of Box Hill and Leith Hill. Without those iconic climbs a non-Surrey route will have to offer something equally attractive. 

Personally, I hope the people of Surrey to let it continue. I have loved the event all 4 times I have taken part and always found the people lining the streets of the various towns and villages (not to mention hanging around outside their homes offering to refill water bottles halfway up Leith Hill) nothing short of amazing. 

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peted76 | 4 years ago
3 likes

^^ It's run by London Marathon Events Ltd, the majority owner of the London and Surrey Cycling Partnership. 

E.g. As much as the simple answer would be to move cities, if it's not in London, it probably won't be replaced.

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Dbr10 | 4 years ago
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I've done the event twice, 2014? and 2019, the first one I enjoyed despite the biblically bad weather, last year I didn't. Despite an early start, I found the whole thing dangerous to be honest, lots of strava chasing idiots cutting through slower riders at crazy speeds down from Leith Hill, and generally poor rider discipline. Once the shorter route and the longer route joined together at Kingston the sheer number of inexperienced riders weaving about all over the road made me glad just to finish in one piece! It's also logistical nightmare especially with having to sign on in Excel prior to the event, and overall for me just not worth it. 

Irrespective of Surrey residents, nimby's etc - I say this event on this route has had it's day. The professional mens race was a total anti climax too, with no laps around town at the end to get to see your favourite pro. It was a great way to celebrate the London olympics, but why not move it out of London, perhaps starting / finishing in another city, but with more open and challenging countryside to ride in - Manchester / York?

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Goldfever4 replied to Dbr10 | 4 years ago
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Dbr10 wrote:

I've done the event twice, 2014? and 2019, the first one I enjoyed despite the biblically bad weather, last year I didn't. Despite an early start, I found the whole thing dangerous to be honest, lots of strava chasing idiots cutting through slower riders at crazy speeds down from Leith Hill, and generally poor rider discipline. Once the shorter route and the longer route joined together at Kingston the sheer number of inexperienced riders weaving about all over the road made me glad just to finish in one piece! It's also logistical nightmare especially with having to sign on in Excel prior to the event, and overall for me just not worth it. 

Irrespective of Surrey residents, nimby's etc - I say this event on this route has had it's day. The professional mens race was a total anti climax too, with no laps around town at the end to get to see your favourite pro. It was a great way to celebrate the London olympics, but why not move it out of London, perhaps starting / finishing in another city, but with more open and challenging countryside to ride in - Manchester / York?

The velothon Wales and velo Birmingham events imply no long distance, closed-roads sportive will ever be acceptable to NIMBYs.

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50kcommute | 4 years ago
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I can see it continuing with a bit of horse trading to make the logistics better... Every year its got bigger and better.

London to brighton causes minimal fuss, but its a direct short closure route.. as brightspark writes, it's the being hemmed in issue that really annoys some. Work in progress I feel.

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Zebulebu | 4 years ago
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Well, that's the end of that then  2

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Brightspark | 4 years ago
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I have mixed views on this event.

Yes it has put bums in saddles, and has increased the number of cyclists on the roads but...

The locals arn't even aware that there is a proffesional race in there. All they see is the roads closed for a bunch of lycra louts who clutter up the roads every weekend for the rest of the year. You may not like to hear that but that is their perception. What also has not helped is the absurd security. People are not allowed to cross the course even when there is no traffic, thus cutting towns and villages in half. All footpaths accessing the course and pavements are closed. So access to see the event is limited to a few places. Parking anywhere near the course is forbidden and that includes residents and their families, so no chance of a family day. All in all a total dogs dinner. You then throw in people trying to get ambulances or get sick relatives into a car to get hospital...sorry mate forbidden. Oh and cyclist peeing in the road and throwing their bottles into gardens, that is the publics perception of the proffesional road race. (I bet you wondered where the bottle throwing came from)

For the rest of us the badwill is highlighted by the aggressive driving towards cyclists especially those in lycra, as soon as those yellow warning signs come out before the event and for a few weeks after.

Good luck with the campaign to keep the event going. There will be several people already known to this site who will be sharing their view. (Don't turn Surrey into a cycle path, A24 at Boxhill to be banned to cyclists and the campaign to ban cyclists from the Zig-Zag et-al)

As I said, I have mixed views. (perhaps its the wrong type of cyclist being attracted to the pastime?)

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Gkam84 | 4 years ago
1 like

I can't remember how long ago it was I got some abuse for starting a counter-petition against some of the gammons that wanted it stopped, but with this review. If I was on the country council. I'd still agree to hold it, but put in place a proper womens race, not a shit crit around some landmarks. 

One of the reasons I did that petition was because of the benefits I could see it bringing the community, but also hoped that the races would improve. They haven't and have in fact stagnated. I wouldn't allow it if they aren't going to improve things.

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alansmurphy | 4 years ago
2 likes

Problem is that the gammons don't often see the good that the £4.3m has done because it only helps the peasants...

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brooksby | 4 years ago
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And so the gammons win another battle...

(Sorry, a bit riled by the quote in the Bristol Post that parks are not an extension of children's gardens and shouldn't have play areas etc; quote from a bloke in his sixties who paid over the odds to live right next to an urban park).

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Miller | 4 years ago
1 like

After many years ignoring RL I got entry this year - errr, last year - via my club. The logistics are a challenge but once I was riding, I absolutely loved it. Closed roads amid a huge peloton of rapid cyclists, it was a total blast. I appeciate later starters probably ran into crash delays but luckily my early start meant I could just ride.

Public consultation means all the bike haters will pile in so I wouldn't be surprised if Surrey county council blinks and withdraws support.

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Toffee | 4 years ago
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It's not perfect, but there's no doubt that it's a fantastic event which it would be a shame to lose.

Shifting to a Chilterns route could work, but the London segment would be far less pretty.

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