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Kingston gets ready for 20,000 cyclists as RideLondon comes to town

Surbiton.com: July 31, 2013 - 6:00am

A year on from the London Olympics, world class cycling will once again be returning to Kingston this weekend.

The inaugural RideLondon cycling festival takes place this Sunday – where 20,000 amateur cyclists and 150 elite riders will pedal 100 miles from the Olympic Park in east London, down through the Surrey Hills and back into the capital – passing through Kingston twice along the way. The event is sure to evoke memories of Sir Bradley Wiggins’ triumphant dash through town on the way to winning Olympic gold in the time trials 12 months ago.

But there are concerns amongst some businesses that the festival could impact on trading just as it did during the Olympics, when visitors watched the event but did not stay in town to shop.

RideLondon event director Hugh Brasher said the festival, which will run for at least the next five years, will hopefully bring in business in the long term.

Cyclists from Kingston taking part in the amateur ride include a group of fundraising dads, a Kingston councillor and a man recovering from a broken back. Jamie Davis, Neil Humphrey, Rob Fisher and Neil Cuthbertson will be tackling the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 event in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support. The foursome, who all live in Kingston, have previously cycled from Land’s End to John o’ Groats in just nine days to raise funds for the charity. Setting a target of £50,000 for the charity, they have so far raised about £36,000.

One man who almost did not make the event is Matt Anthony, from Claremont Road, Surbiton. The 32-year-old chartered surveyor fractured his spine after falling off his bike in June, and faced a race against time to get fit in time for Sunday’s event.

ROAD CLOSURES

  • Road closures along the entire route will be put in place at 5.30am on Sunday and will remain in place until 6.30pm
  • Portsmouth Road, Kingston High Street, Thames Street, Kingston Bridge, London Road and Hampton Court Bridge will all be closed to traffic
  • Vehicle movements on the day will be severely restricted
  • All parking bays will be suspended along the race route itself
Read more: 
http://www.surreycomet.co.uk/news/10580955.Kingston_gets_ready_for_20_000_cyclis...

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