Route for RideLondon-Essex 2023 sportive confirmed

The route for next year’s RideLondon-Essex 2023 sportive has been confirmed, and will be the same as the one taken by last May’s debut edition which saw more than 22,000 cyclists head east out of the capital into the neighbouring county.

The 2023 edition of the event, which is organised by London Marathon Events in partnership with Essex County Council, is due to take place on Sunday 28 May.

Following this year’s event, the county council and LME held a consultation to gain feedback from local businesses and residents and have now confirmed details of the route to be used next year, with some improvements made in areas such as access for people living locally and crossing points.

Cyclists will head out of central London and through Epping Forest into Essex, continuing on through  Epping, Ongar, Leaden Roding, Great Dunmow, Felsted and Writtle before heading back into the capital via Ongar. 

On online map of the route can be found here. 

Essex County Council says that the route “has been confirmed because it has the least impact on the strategic road network in the county, includes roads wide enough to accommodate both emergency vehicles and cyclists and offers the greatest number of access options for residents.”

Councillor Lee Scott, Essex County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways Maintenance and Sustainable Transport, said: “RideLondon-Essex 2022 was a successful event, but we want to make RideLondon-Essex 2023 even better. With the changes we’ve put in place, we’re confident of delivering an event which will greatly benefit businesses, residents and communities.

“With our beautiful countryside and picturesque villages, RideLondon-Essex showcases the best of the county to a national and international audience, helping to boost business and tourism in the county.

“It also aligns with our Everyone’s Essex objectives promoting physical activity to encourage healthy lifestyles and promoting walking and cycling as part of a move towards Net Zero.”

Residents living close to the route and nearby businesses will receive leaflets in the new year providing information about the event, with details also available on the RideLondon website.

www.ridelondon.co.uk/community-info/community-info

Kevin Nash, route director, commented: “We’ve been working hard since the first RideLondon-Essex was held back in May to complete a review of the route and collate as much information and feedback on the event as possible from as many individuals, communities, businesses and stakeholders as possible.

“This has been invaluable as we work with Essex County Council to shape our plans for the 2023 RideLondon-Essex events.

“Our engagement work with communities on or near the route continues in the New Year to build awareness and ensure a safe and successful event on 28 May 2023.”

First held in 2013 as a legacy of the previous year’s London Olympic and Paralympic Games, the first seven editions of RideLondon took place across an entire weekend and included the RideLondon-Surrey 100 sportive, which took place ahead of the elite men’s RideLondon-Surrey Classic race.

The coronavirus pandemic meant that RideLondon was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021, with a virtual event organised instead in each year, and in the meantime Surrey County Council announced that following consultation with local residents and businesses it would no longer host the event, with Essex County Council subsequently confirmed as the new local authority partner.

Places for the 100-mile sportive next May have already sold out – some entries may still be available through charities, usually with a commitment to meet a certain fundraising target – while places for the 60-mile version of the sportive will be released in the New Year.

Besides the sportive, Sunday 28 May will also see the third and concluding stage of the UCI Women’s WorldTour race, the RideLondon-Essex Classique, as well as the RideLondon FreeCycle, which sees tens of thousands of cyclists take to a family-friendly closed road circuit in the heart of the capital.