2013-08-03/04 - RideLondon (Freecycle/Grand Prix/100/Classic)

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, (with Laura Trott by his side) has announced "a world class two day cycling festival to take forward London’s Olympic legacy".

The website for RideLondon, which takes places next summer (2013), is http://www.ridelondon.co.uk/

Note the Free Cycle event which sounds just like the Sky Ride. There's also going to be a 'Classic', 'Grand Prix' and other events.

"Hot on the heels of incredible success for Team GB’s cycling superstars, and accompanied by double gold medal winning cyclist Laura Trott, the Mayor of London has confirmed plans for the capital to host a two day world class festival of cycling next year. The weekend festival will be known as RideLondon and will feature a series of events for amateur, club and world elite cyclists...Detailed routes for the RideLondon events will be revealed later in the year taking into consideration lessons learned from the 2012 Games. The finish for all the RideLondon events will be on The Mall subject to approval of final details."

I shall ignore it. Cycling in London is about everyday not two days of the year.

What Clive said!

Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly enjoy these events, in fact I usually try to avoid them.

However, if it encourages people to take up cycling and shows TfL and the government that there is public demand for better infrastructure, more training etc etc. then it's no bad thing.

I hope they pay road tax.

It will be cancelled/funding cut in 2 months time when that dipshit Boris forgets about it and moves onto whatever else idiots who only get their information from the Metro and Facebook think is cool. He's an embaressing prick and this is just another shitty bit of jump on the bandwagon self publicity when what he should be doing is sorting out this city.

Rant done, I'm off for a bike ride....

Don't get me wrong, I don't particularly enjoy these events, in fact I usually try to avoid them.

However, if it encourages people to take up cycling and shows TfL and the government that there is public demand for better infrastructure, more training etc etc. then it's no bad thing.

Yeah, but putting it on here is preaching to the perverted, no?

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, (with Laura Trott by his side) has announced "a world class two day cycling festival to take forward London’s Olympic legacy".

Do we have to support it before he sets Trotty free?

Sounds worse than the London Marathon.

What Johnson is trying to do is to say that cycling is fine so long as it is done only on one or two days a year when there are no motor vehicles on the roads and provided it is done for charity. At other times the roads belong to cars and the motor lobby that funds his campaigns.

I think we should create a thread for well-intentioned nodder conventions, and then merge all such things into it.

He only does this so he can call himself the "Cycling Mayor"... what a joke.

And! And!

It's not like he's paying for it. Oh no, heaven forbid that he might want to actually reach into the city coffers for investment in cycling. This is a lesson in how to get corporate sponsors to pay for it, whilst he takes the credit and can have the GLC pocket the rest.

I don't think there is any problem with posting it here, at least it gives us another chance to take a dig at Boris. But yeah - I will pass.

I shall ignore it. Cycling in London is about everyday not two days of the year.

Then don't ignore it, or you'll miss out on two days' cycling. :D

I suppose it's one way to spin the fact that Sky had dropped their sponsorship.

What Johnson is trying to do is to say that cycling is fine so long as it is done only on one or two days a year when there are no motor vehicles on the roads and provided it is done for charity.

Trollocks. The London Freewheel was started under Ken Livingstone, and while not over two days, was the same: An entry-level, family-friendly event. There's a place for that, as it's children's independent mobility that's particularly restricted in London.

At other times the roads belong to cars and the motor lobby that funds his campaigns.

While it is true that the overall thrust of transport policy has been regressive under the current Mayor, in practice this has not (yet) so much reversed progress but rather stalled it.

Note the Free Cycle event which sounds just like the Sky Ride Freewheel.

Fixed Freewheeled.

Thanks Oliver, for making me feel slightly less crap about starting this thread :)

If this leads other towns to follow suit and begins to reduce the domination of the roads by people in cars then it's a good idea.
If you appreciate that the roads were closed to motor vehicles for days during the Olympics that is a bit of the legacy I would like to see perpetuated, and copied around the country.
As Brailsford says, it is the maximisation of marginal gains, or as T*sco puts it, "Every little helps"

From what I remember this was announced a few months ago. This is just a re hashed announcement to capitalise in the public's (brief?) interest in cycling.

^ Correct.

Boris Johnson is a shameless bandwagon jumping clown.

^^^ This and ^This.
A cunning clown though, a well-delivered and cleverly Scripted act.
Frightening how many fall for it....

Once in a generation comes a man who rewrites the.history books, a gentleman who.rides a bike and whos name begins with B.
The total dedicationand the passionate commitment to winning is what sets an Olympian like Boris apart.He is arguably the finest British politician in the history of.the world.
That is why I and the rest of.Britain say "allez Bojo!", as this glorious figure cycles on his victory tour of.london ,wearing his iconic yellow hair, inspiring an entire generationto get on their bikes and vote conservative.

Private Eye 2012

wow.
i wonder how the people who own "London Classic" race feel about the Boris ripping their name..
from what I read its the nocturne and the sky ride in one.
I like the nocturne though..

^Nocturne one of the highlights of the [s]drinking[s/] cycling calendar.

Interesting about the Classic namestealing. That's pretty blatant.

I'd be interested in the 100 mind, depending on cost...