Ride London

The Classique – a UCI Women’s WorldTour road race – 27-28 May 2022

We’re thrilled that RideLondon 2022 will be hosting a three-day UCI Women’s WorldTour road race, the RideLondon Classique, from 27 to 29 May across London and Essex (including parts of Braintree District).  

Featuring the world's greatest teams and riders, the Classique has been part of RideLondon since its first edition in 2013 and was added to the UCI Women's WorldTour calendar in 2016. A casualty to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021, the Classique returns with gusto in 2022, and is set to be bigger and better than ever before.

Whether you're a dedicated fan of road racing or completely new to the sport, the RideLondon Classique will be an incredible spectacle for all to enjoy, with world-class riders zipping across parts of London and Essex over the three-day period. For full details or the Ride London Classique route see here.  

Stage One, Friday 27 May: 137.1km, Start/Finish: Maldon (five climbs, 1,033 vertical metres) 

The opening stage starts and finishes in the ancient Essex town of Maldon. It will feature two laps of the Abberton Reservoir on the outskirts of Colchester and pass Tiptree, home to the world-famous Tiptree jam, before finishing with two circuits around Maldon. 

Best places to watch Stage One within the District:  Nounsley, is a great place to watch the Classique as the riders gain pace through the beautiful countryside between 13.20 and 14.20 on Friday 27 May.  We recommend parking in Hatfield Peverel close to the Scout Hut (Church Road, Hatfield Peverel, CM3 2LB) and taking the short 5 minute walk along the public footpath to view alongside Sportsmans Lane.

Stage Two, Saturday 28 May: 141km, Start: Chelmsford, Finish: Epping (eight climbs, 1,368 vertical metres) 

An undulating stage that starts in Chelmsford, the county seat of Essex, and heads north towards Finchingfield and Great Dunmow before returning south and culminating in three circuits around Epping Forest, the historic former royal forest that straddles the border of Essex and London. The final circuits will be punctuated by short, sharp climbs to create a thrilling finale. 

Best places to watch Stage Two within the District: Finchingfield is a good spot to watch them pass on the route between 11.30 and 12.30 on Saturday 28 May . Huge crowds headed to the beautiful village to welcome the Tour de France in 2014 and this is another chance to watch world-class cycling in a stunning location.  

Ride London – 29 May 2022

RideLondon was established by the Mayor of London in 2013 as a legacy event from the London 2012 Olympics, which saw Team GB dominate the medal table in cycling.  

The iconic 100-mile distance is the longest challenge ride in the RideLondon programme. It has been part of RideLondon since it was first held in 2013, with the first seven editions starting and finishing in London with a loop of Surrey in between.  RideLondon has now grown to feature 100,000 riders of all ages and abilities enjoying a range of different mass participation challenges, along with road races contested by the world’s best professional riders, all broadcast live on the BBC. 

The event couldn’t take place in 2020 or 2021 due to the pandemic but RideLondon is now back on the road for 2022 with a brand new route for 2022.  Participants will set off from Victoria Embankment in central London and into Essex via Epping Forest, riders will glide past some of the county’s most picturesque towns and villages and onto Chelmsford, before heading through Writtle and back towards Ongar and central London. Once in central London, participants will then complete their ride to rapturous applause at Tower Bridge – a stunning Finish Line for the 100-mile challenge.  For full details of the route, see here 

Stage Three, Sunday 29 May: 85.3km, Start/Finish: London  

Similar to the previous one-day editions of the RideLondon Classique, the final Stage is a multi-lap circuit race in the centre of London. The route has been tweaked from previous editions of the race, with a start and finish on Victoria Embankment beside the River Thames. The route has also been made longer with two short (7.3km) laps and nine long (10.1km) laps on a circuit that includes some of London’s most famous streets, including Piccadilly, Pall Mall and The Strand. 

Plan ahead for the 2022 RideLondon weekend

RideLondon, will result in extensive road closures in some areas of the route during the weekend of 27-29 May 2022.

Full road closure information can be viewed at Ride London. 

Please note the road closures will have a wider impact than the immediate RideLondon routes and to avoid disruption drivers are advised, wherever possible, to avoid areas near the event routes in central, east and north east London, and in the affected parts of Essex and to allow more time for their journeys.

Leaflets with details, including maps, of areas affected by road closures and parking suspensions have been distributed to every household and business on and near the routes prior to the event weekend.
 

If you need any further information, please contact Ride London.