One of the world’s greatest festivals of cycling pedalled off today in London as thousands of cyclists took advantage of rare, traffic-free roads in the capital.
Today’s Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle event gave families the chance to bike along normally busy thoroughfares.
Traffic was banned from an eight-mile circuit which passed iconic London landmarks including Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Bank of England, heading south of the river with a loop over Waterloo Bridge, offering stunning views of the capital.
The route was open to cyclists from 9am till 4pm, with some going the extra mile by getting dressed up in colourful clothes for the fun occasion.
This weekend’s festival will see more than 100,000 people of all ages and abilities cycle more than three million miles in London, in eight events taking place over two days, including the women’s Classique this evening.
On Sunday afternoon, the men’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic, over a 114-mile course into the Surrey hills and back into the capital, is also expected to draw scores of spectators.
Both events end in a sprint finish as riders bike towards the line on The Mall.
The festival was first held in 2013, to continue the legacy of the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Some of the cyclists showed their fun side by dressing up for the annual event, which sees participants enjoy traffic-free roads
There were blue skies during the event in London, with people cycling past Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s Cathedral and the Bank of England
The popular annual event showcases the capital as part of a two-day festival of cycling led by the Mayor of London’s office
The Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle offers an opportunity to get the whole family together to experience the fun and freedom of cycling on traffic-free roads in central London
One of the world’s greatest festivals of cycling pedalled off today in London as thousands of cyclists took advantage of rare, traffic-free roads in the capital
Mayor of London Sadiq Khan described the event as the world’s greatest cycle celebration, as people of all abilities and ages took part
Prudential Ride London Freecycle allows cyclists to ride on car-free roads in London. Cyclists could join the ride on any part of the eight-mile-long course
Camera crews also took to the streets, as cyclists biked around iconic London landmarks, and over the Thames