RideLondon cyclists raised £11.5m for charity in 2019 – but event may be under threat

Riders taking part in the Prudential RideLondon events raised £11.5m for charity last year. This brings the total raised to more than £77m in the first seven years of the event, but the current agreement for Surrey to host the event expires this year and a consultation is being held over whether to continue to stage it.

The Alzheimer’s Society was the most successful charity with riders raising more than £450,000 for it. Macmillan Cancer Support and Prostate Cancer UK also benefited from six-figure sums.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: “My congratulations go to everyone who helped raise this fantastic sum for charity at the 2019 edition of Prudential RideLondon. Their efforts will help some great causes make a real difference to people’s lives.”

Mike Wells, group chief executive of Prudential, added: “I would like to thank all the riders who took part and helped make this another fantastic year for fund-raising. Prudential RideLondon is the world’s greatest festival of cycling, and to raise more than £77m in seven years for good causes is an incredible achievement.”

The routes of four RideLondon events – the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic men’s elite race, the RideLondon-Surrey 100 sportive and the shorter 46- and 19-mile mass participation rides – make use of roads in Surrey.

While many local residents and businesses are supportive, day-long road closures affect a number of towns and villages. As we reported earlier in the week, Surrey County Council (SCC) has launched a consultation into the future of the event.

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.”

The ballot for the 2020 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 closes tomorrow (January 4).