London–Surrey Classic
{{Short description|Men's professional cycle race in London}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox cycling race
| name = RideLondon–Surrey Classic
| current_event =
| image = 250px
| date = August
| region = Great Britain
| english =
| localnames =
| nickname =
| discipline = Road
| competition = UCI World Tour (Cat 1.HC)
| type = One-day
| organiser = London & Surrey Cycling Partnership (LSCP)
| director =
| first = London–Surrey Cycle Classic
| number = 8
| final =2019
| firstwinner = {{flagathlete|Mark Cavendish|GBR}}
| mostwins =
| mostrecent = {{flagathlete|Elia Viviani|ITA}}
}}
The London–Surrey Classic (also known as the RideLondon–Surrey Classic) was an annual {{convert|193|km|1|abbr=on}} men's professional one-day road cycling race, starting and finishing in London and routed via the picturesque Surrey Hills. The first race of its kind was the London–Surrey Cycle Classic, on 14 August 2011, a 1.2 classification{{cite web| url = http://www.cyclingnews.com/races/london-surrey-cycle-classic-1-2/results| title = London-Surrey Cycle Classic 2011: Results {{!}} Cyclingnews}} 140 km preparatory event for the 2012 Summer Olympics, which was won by sprinter Mark Cavendish. The men's and women's Olympic road races were held on a longer variation of the same course the following year. On 4 August 2013, the race found a permanent home as part of the Prudential RideLondon weekend, a two-day cycling festival held in London, a legacy event of the Olympics.
The Prudential RideLondon–Surrey Classic was part of the UCI World Tour between 2017 and 2019.{{cite web| url = http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/surrey-news/ridelondon-surrey-classic-2017-great-13180350| title = RideLondon-Surrey Classic 2017 to be Great Britain's first ever men's UCI WorldTour race - Surrey Live}} {{cite web| url = https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/other-sports/ridelondonsurrey-classic-set-for-stellar-field-as-88000-race-gets-world-tour-status-a3564111.html| title = RideLondon-Surrey Classic set for stellar field as £88,000 race gets World Tour status {{!}} London Evening Standard {{!}} Evening Standard}} {{cite web| url = https://roadcyclinguk.com/racing/ridelondon-surrey-classic-joins-uci-worldtour-calendar-2017.html| title = RideLondon-Surrey Classic joins UCI WorldTour calend...}} {{cite web| url = http://www.uci.ch/road/calendar/| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140905015733/http://www.uci.ch/road/calendar/| archive-date = 2014-09-05| title = Road - Calendar}} Following the cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 events due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the withdrawal of support from Surrey County Council, the men's race did not return in 2022, with the RideLondon festival including a 3 day elite women's race (RideLondon Classique) instead.{{Cite web|last=Rogers|first=Owen|date=2021-06-08|title=RideLondon Classique confirmed as a three-day Women's WorldTour event in 2022|url=https://www.cyclingweekly.com/news/ridelondon-classique-confirmed-as-a-three-day-womens-worldtour-event-in-2022|access-date=2021-08-13|website=cyclingweekly.com}}{{Cite web|date=2021-03-04|title=RideLondon set to continue from 2022-31 but in new format, Transport for London papers reveal|url=https://road.cc/content/news/ridelondon-set-continue-2022-31-new-format-281467|access-date=2021-08-12|website=road.cc|language=en}}
History
= Origins =
{{main|London–Surrey Cycle Classic}}
As part of the London Prepares test events for London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics a one-off one-day {{convert|140|km|1|abbr=on}} cycle race was organised for 14 August 2011 acting as a test event for the Road Cycling events to be held the following year. The race was named the London-Surrey Cycle Classic and was part of the 2010–11 UCI Europe Tour as a 1.2 category event.{{cite web|url=http://www.uci.ch/templates/BUILTIN-NOFRAMES/Template1/layout.asp?MenuId=MTYzMzQ&LangId=1|title=UCI Road Calendar — 2010-2011 Europe Tour|accessdate=11 August 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021235622/http://www.uci.ch/templates/BUILTIN-NOFRAMES/Template1/layout.asp?MenuId=MTYzMzQ&LangId=1|archivedate=21 October 2013|df=dmy-all}}
The race started and finished on The Mall in London and featured two laps of a {{convert|15.5|km|1|abbr=on}} circuit centred on Box Hill in Surrey.{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/529685/london-surrey-cycle-classic-the-big-preview.html|title=London – Surrey Cycle Classic the big preview|author=Will Irwin and Andy McGrath|date=12 August 2011|publisher=Cycling Weekly|accessdate=11 August 2013}} 138 riders from 19 national teams and 10 trade teams took part in the race, and was won by Mark Cavendish in a sprint finish.{{cite news|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/529695/cavendish-wins-london-surrey-cycle-classic.html|title=Cavendish wins London–Surrey Cycle Classic|author=Andy McGrath & Nigel Wynn|date=14 August 2011|publisher=Cycling Weekly|accessdate=11 August 2013}}
= 2012 Summer Olympics =
File:Men's Olympic Road Race Peleton, London - July 2012.jpg
File:Womens Olympic Road Race Peleton - July 2012.jpg
The 2012 Summer Olympics held road cycling races for both men and women on a largely similar course to that of the London-Surrey Cycle Classic held the previous year.
= RideLondon–Surrey Classic =
The RideLondon weekend, including the RideLondon–Surrey Classic, was announced by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson on 10 August 2012, less than two weeks after the Olympic Road Cycling races.{{cite web|url=http://www.london.gov.uk/media/mayor-press-releases/2012/08/mayor-announces-world-class-ridelondon-event-to-take-forward|title=Mayor announces world class RideLondon event to take forward capital's Olympic legacy|publisher=Mayor of London|date=10 August 2012}} RideLondon is managed by the London & Surrey Cycling Partnership, a joint venture between the organisers of the London Marathon and The Tour of Britain.
The inaugural RideLondon–Surrey Classic was run as a 1.1 category event on the 2013 UCI Europe Tour. The UCI upgraded the classification for the 2014 race which was run as a 1.HC category event on the 2014 UCI Europe Tour; the same classification as Paris–Tours and Milano–Torino.{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest/540582/2014-prudential-ridelondon-surrey-classic-awarded-hors-cat-gorie-status.html|title=2014 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic awarded hors catégorie status|publisher=Cycling Weekly|date=27 September 2013}}
=UCI World Tour status=
The RideLondon event director, Hugh Brasher, stated his ambitions to attain UCI World Tour status for the RideLondon–Surrey Classic by 2016.{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/othersports/cycling/ridelondon/10216827/ridelondon-classic.html|title=A thrilling showpiece for British cycling|publisher=The Telegraph|date=2 August 2013|accessdate=11 August 2013}} This was backed up by positive rider reaction following the inaugural race, including from Arnaud Démare's teammate Dominique Rollin.{{cite web|url=http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/rollin-tips-ridelondon-surrey-classic-for-worldtour|title=Rollin tips RideLondon–Surrey Classic for WorldTour|publisher=Cycling News|accessdate=11 August 2013}} In March 2016 the race organisation applied for WorldTour status from the 2017 event{{cite web|last1=Clarke|first1=Stuart|title=RideLondon-Surrey Classic one of 21 races to apply for WorldTour status|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/latest-news/ridelondon-surrey-classic-one-of-21-races-to-apply-for-worldtour-status-214402|website=Cycling Weekly|accessdate=31 July 2016}} and in August 2016 the UCI confirmed that the race would be promoted to the WorldTour from 2017.{{cite web|last1=Wynn|first1=Nigel|title=RideLondon moves up to WorldTour status as UCI reveals 2017 race calendar|url=http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/racing/ridelondon-moves-worldtour-uci-reveals-2017-race-calendar-270311|website=Cycling Weekly|accessdate=9 August 2016}} Surrey County Council agreed to support the RideLondon events until 2018, with an option of a further two-year extension.{{cite web|title=Prudential RideLondon FAQs|url=http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/About/FAQs.htm|publisher=Prudential RideLondon|accessdate=11 August 2013}}
= Cancellation =
The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the withdrawal of title sponsor Prudential and Surrey County Council, the event has concentrated in Central London from 2022 with an 3-day elite women's race, the RideLondon Classique. In June 2021, organisers of the event confirmed that the men's race would not return.
Route
File:RideLondon-Surrey Classic Profile.svg
File:RideLondon-Surrey Classic Profile 2014.svg
The RideLondon–Surrey Classic route was a variation of the course used for the 2012 Summer Olympics.{{cite web|url=http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/News/Newsroom/Britain_gets_set_to_host_its_biggest_ever_one-day_race_s1_p14415.htm|title=Britain gets set to host its biggest ever one-day race|publisher=Prudential RideLondon|date=6 February 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20140829035641/http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/News/Newsroom/Britain_gets_set_to_host_its_biggest_ever_one-day_race_s1_p14415.htm|archivedate=29 August 2014|df=dmy-all}} The route featured both categorised climbs and intermediate sprint points.
Riders started from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park close to the Olympic Velodrome before passing close to Canary Wharf and the Tower of London on the way through central London. Leaving London by the A4 the route passes through Richmond Park, Kingston upon Thames and Hampton Court Palace. In Surrey the route passed through Weybridge and Ripley on the way to the first of the categorised climbs and the leafy villages of the Surrey Hills.
Multiple laps of hilly terrain in the vicinity of Dorking incorporated further categorised climbs, including Leith Hill – the highest point in South-East England. On the return to London the route took in the final categorised climb of Box Hill before the largely flat run-in via Oxshott, Kingston upon Thames, Wimbledon and Putney. The final kilometres followed the Embankment, past the Palace of Westminster, along Whitehall and turning left through Admiralty Arch before the finish on The Mall.
= Sprints classification =
Intermediate Sprints counted towards the sprints classification; the points distribution for this classification is as follows:
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="30%" | ||||
| Sprint||1st||2nd||3rd||4th | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intermediate Sprint | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Note that points were not awarded at the finish line.
= King of the Mountains classification =
Categorised climbs counted towards the King of the Mountains classification; the points distribution for this classification is as follows:
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" width="37%" | ||||||||||
| Category||1st||2nd||3rd||4th||5th||6th||7th||8th||9th||10th | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cat 1 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Cat 2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | ||||
| Cat 3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
The categorised climbs that featured in the RideLondon–Surrey Classic included:
Winners
= Overall winners =
{{Cycling past winner start}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2011|name={{sortname|Mark|Cavendish}}|nat=GBR|team=Great Britain national team}}
{{Cycling past winner no race|year=2012}} (see 2012 Olympic road race)
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2013|name={{sortname|Arnaud|Démare}}|nat=FRA|team= {{UCI team code|FDJ|2013b}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2014|name={{sortname|Adam|Blythe}}|nat=GBR|team={{UCI team code|NPC|2014}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2015|name={{sortname|Jempy|Drucker}}|nat=LUX|team={{UCI team code|BMC|2015}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2016|name={{sortname|Tom|Boonen}}|nat=BEL|team={{UCI team code|QST|2016}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2017|name={{sortname|Alexander|Kristoff}}|nat=NOR|team={{UCI team code|KAT|2017}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2018|name={{sortname|Pascal|Ackermann}}|nat=GER|team={{UCI team code|BOH|2018}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2019|name={{sortname|Elia|Viviani}}|nat=ITA|team={{UCI team code|QST|2019}}}}
{{Cycling past winner no race|year=2020}} due to COVID-19 pandemic
{{Cycling past winner no race|year=2021}} due to COVID-19 pandemic
{{Cycling past winner end}}
= Overall winners by nationality =
| class="wikitable" |
| # of victories
!Country |
|---|
| 2
|{{GBR}} |
| 1
|{{FRA}} |
| 1
|{{LUX}} |
| 1
|{{BEL}} |
| 1
|{{NOR}} |
| 1
|{{GER}} |
| 1
|{{ITA}} |
= Sprints classification winners =
{{Cycling past winner start}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2013|name={{sortname|Ramon|Sinkeldam}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|ARG|2013}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2014|name={{sortname|Steven|Lammertink}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|GIA|2014}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2015|name={{sortname|Peter|Williams|Peter Williams (cyclist)}}|nat=GBR|team={{UCI team code|ONE|2015}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2016|name={{sortname|Jonathan|Lastra}}|nat=ESP|team={{UCI team code|CJR|2016}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2017|name={{sortname|Matteo|Trentin}}|nat=ITA|team={{UCI team code|QST|2017}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2018|name={{sortname|Manuele|Boaro}}|nat=ITA|team={{UCI team code|TBM|2018}}}}
{{Cycling past winner end}}
= King of the Mountains classification winners =
{{Cycling past winner start}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2013|name={{sortname|Ramon|Sinkeldam}}|nat=NED|team={{UCI team code|ARG|2013}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2014|name={{sortname|Steve|Lampier}}|nat=GBR|team={{UCI team code|VGR|2014}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2015|name={{sortname|Erick|Rowsell}}|nat=GBR|team={{UCI team code|MGT|2015}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2016|name={{sortname|Jempy|Drucker}}|nat=LUX|team={{UCI team code|BMC|2016}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2017|name={{sortname|Mads|Würtz Schmidt}}|nat=DEN|team={{UCI team code|KAT|2017}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2018|name={{sortname|Alexis|Gougeard}}|nat=FRA|team={{UCI team code|ALM|2018}}}}
{{Cycling past winner rider|year=2019|name={{sortname|Alex|Dowsett}}|nat=GBR|team={{UCI team code|KAT|2019}}}}
{{Cycling past winner end}}
= Records =
- The fastest RideLondon–Surrey Classic was in 2017, by Alexander Kristoff at a speed of {{convert|45.39|km/h|2|abbr=on}}.
- The highest number of finishers was in 2013 – 131 out of 147 starters completed the course within the time limit.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|London – Surrey Cycle Classic}}
- {{Official website|http://www.prudentialridelondon.co.uk/}}
{{London–Surrey Classic}}
{{British Cycling Races}}
{{UCI World Tour}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:London-Surrey Classic}}
Category:Cycle races in England
Category:UCI Europe Tour races
Category:Recurring sporting events established in 2013