Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish confirmed for RideLondon

Sir Bradley Wiggins, who earlier this month broke the UCI Hour Record at the Lee Valley VeloPark, will be back in the capital in August to race in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic – and organisers are expecting bumper crowds to cheer on the biggest star in British cycling.

The four-time Olympic champion will lead his Team Wiggins in the 200km race on Sunday 2 August. Mark Cavendish has already been confirmed for the event, which takes place a week after the Tour de France finishes, and which the Manx rider will be taking part in with Etixx-QuickStep.

Much of the route follows that of the London 2012 Olympic road race, where Wiggins, six days after winning the yellow jersey, was one of the Team GB riders supporting his then Team Sky colleague Cavendish in his unsuccessful bid to win the gold medal.

Wiggins said: “It’s always fantastic to race on home roads and this race is very special. My team is really looking forward to it.

“I was amazed how many people were out watching last year in that appalling weather. The whole Prudential RideLondon festival shows how much cycling has grown in this country.”

At last month’s Tour de Yorkshire, Wiggins’ first race with his new team, its motorhome was mobbed by fans at the start of stages – in Wakefield, it drew much more attention than Team Sky’s bus, parked alongside it – confirming that the 35-year-old is far and away the biggest draw in the sport.

Race director Mick Bennett said: “Every race wants Wiggins. He now has rock star status and generates massive excitement wherever he races. We expect hundreds of thousands of spectators to line the route to cheer him on.

“His team is packed with great athletes likely to feature in the team pursuit in the Rio Games next year and they should perform well in a race of this nature.”

Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, added: “Huge crowds will once again line the capital’s streets this August to roar on some of the world's top cyclists.

“I’m sure British fans will be shouting even louder at the sight of former Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins shooting past our grand landmarks.”

More than 95,000 people are expected to take to their bikes during the weekend, which includes the Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle mass participation ride and the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 sportive.

Mr Johnson added: “London continues to showcase its ability to host world-leading sporting and cultural events, and Prudential RideLondon is yet another one of our superb showpieces that helps to attract tourists, drive the economy and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds on to their bikes,” he added.

“It’s a festival of cycling that caters for everyone, whether you are a top professional, a committed daily commuter who loves riding their bike or a family looking forward to a leisurely day’s cycling along some of the capital’s most famous streets.”