RideLondon-Essex sportive date reportedly confirmed for 2023

Next year’s RideLondon-Essex sportive will take place on Sunday 28 May 2023, according to local newspaper reports.

The hugely popular event returned this year following a two-year absence due to the coronavirus pandemic, switching from its previous late July/early August slot to late May.

A new slimmed-down format saw events in London, including the family-friendly FreeCycle ride on closed roads in the heart of the capital, confined to the Sunday rather than spanning an entire weekend.

Essex meanwhile took over from Surrey County Council as partner with RideLondon London Marathon Events (LME), hosting much of the route of the sportive, with 30-, 60- and 100-mile roue options, attracting more than 22,000 riders.

The county also hosted the second and third stage of the Women’s WorldTour race, the RideLondon Classique.

Previously, that had been a one-day circuit race held in central London on the Saturday evening, but it expanded this year to three days, with the opening stage held in the capital on the Sunday afternoon.

Meanwhile the men’s elite race, last held in 2019 under the name the RideLondon-Surrey Classic on a course largely mirroring that of the sportive and won that year by Elia Viviani, was dropped from the programme.

In a statement quoted on local news outlets including the Thurrock Gazette, Essex County Council said: “The event will contribute to Essex County Council climate change priorities looking to encourage Essex residents to be more aware of the benefits of being physical activity by cycling which in turn would increase awareness of active travel and support reducing the number of short journeys made by car and reduce emissions.”

Referring to the format that existed from its inception in 2013 as a legacy from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, the council continued: “RideLondon is traditionally a three-day cycling event that includes two elite cycle races and a mass participation event for members of the public.

“This partnership with LME will allow Essex to be the host county for the mass participation event in 2023, which will help support and inspire people in Essex taking up cycling as part of a healthy, active and environmentally sustainable lifestyle.

“It will also showcase Essex as an attractive county that is open for visitors and for the staging of big events.

“Bringing this event to Essex will also help boost fundraising for local charities that play an important role in supporting our communities.”

According to the Thurrock Gazette, the route for next year’s sportive is yet to be finalised.

Surrey County Council decided to end its partnership with RideLondon following a consultation with local residents in 2020, saying it would instead focus on smaller-scale events, with Essex County Council was confirmed as the new event partner in November last year.

> RideLondon returns next May, but no Box Hill as sportive heads into Essex 

In May 2021, Transport for London confirmed that it had reached agreement with LME for the event to continue from 2022-31, albeit in the new format that sees it take over the capital’s streets for just one day.

> RideLondon confirmed for 2022-31 – but switches to the Spring