The RideLondon Surrey Classic is the most testing one-day race on British roads this year and in a strong lineup one name stands out: Sir Bradley Wiggins. All eyes will be on Team Wiggo, who race in retro red and blue jerseys that echo the colours once sported by the all-conquering Great Britain team. Sunday’s race provides a rare chance to see the 2012 Tour de France champion on the roads where he claimed Olympic time-trial gold also that year.
With retirement looming in the not too distant future, the cyclist who became a national treasure with his rakish Mod style says it is a “big moment” for his team of young talents to ride alongside Classics specialists such as Tom Boonen and Philippe Gilbert. But the thousands who flock to the roadside will be hoping to see one more flash of Wiggo magic.
Another of Britain’s cycling superstars to feature on the rolling Surrey hills is Mark Cavendish, who lines up for his Etixx-Quick-Step team alongside Sky’s fast men Ben Swift and the Giro stage winner Elia Viviani. All of them will be looking to take the win in the Mall. The Ardenne-type terrain of the North Downs will suit Boonen and Gilbert.
RideLondon features six of the leading teams in the world among the 25 squads. However, a knee injury has forced André Greipel – the winner of four stages in the Tour de France – out of the race and the anticipated match-up between the German and his Etixx-Quick-Step rival Cavendish will have to wait for another day.
If the fast finish on The Mall is made for the sprinters, the Classics riders will be looking to the opportunities offered by the brutal, short, steep climbs of the Surrey hills.
There is every chance that Gilbert will use the classic climb of Box Hill as a launchpad for a potentially race-winning move, as he did in last year’s Surrey Classic. “It is not every day that you get the chance to race in London,” says the Belgian, winner of the Amstel Gold race last seasonwith a typically bold attack on the Cauberg.
Gilbert will come to the race as one of the favourites, straight from Saturday’s San Sebastian Classic. He is bullish about his chances of getting on the podium this year.
“The start is pretty flat for about 70km before the first climb,” he says. “So, even if I still have the race from Saturday in my legs, I will have time to spin my legs and recover. A lot of times the best way to recover is to ride. So it is going to be perfect.”
Rohan Dennis will also be in London after his record-breaking time-trial win at the Tour de France. The Australian says he was anxious to compete here “having seen the amazing crowds and I know how supportive the fans are from the Commonwealth Games, the Tour de France and the Olympics”.
Dennis will be riding in support of Gilbert in what he calls “a bit of a race of attrition” and hopes to be able to lead out the Belgian “or even take my own chances with an attack”.
The surprise winner in 2014, NFTO’s Adam Blythe, returns to defend the victory that earned the 25-year-old a World Tour contract with Orica-GreenEdge.
After a thrilling 70km escape Blythe outsprinted Sky’s Swift, who is also back after a shoulder injury sustained at the Tour of Yorkshire in May. “It promises to be a really aggressive race,” Swift said, “and having only six riders adds an extra dimension of unpredictability.”
MTN Qhubeka – the African team who enjoyed a memorable debut at the Tour de France – have several options for success with Gerald Ciolek, Theo Bos and Tyler Farrar.
“Obviously morale is high after the Tour,” says their team manager, Brian Smith.
“Our goal is to win the race and we have options for a bunch sprint and a breakaway. Our strength lies in the unexpected.”
