RideLondon: Rivera and Kristoff impress but British public are the real stars of cycling festival

RideLondon is just five years old, but the time when the United Kingdom was not obsessed with cycling is all but a distant memory.

Over 100,000 members of the British public took their bikes out onto the streets of London this weekend in the capital’s now established festival of cycling, with almost a quarter of those tackling the 100-mile Prudential RideLondon-Surrey event on Sunday.

The flagship amateur cycling event of the year saw riders – many of whom were raising money for good causes – depart from the Olympic Park in Stratford before winding across London and out on to the lanes of Surrey.

Leith Hill, Box Hill and a nasty climb up through Wimbledon ensured that this was not a ride for the faint-hearted, but you’d never have guessed as beaming riders turned for home under Admiral Arch to burst down the finishing straight on The Mall.

It was a joyous celebration of all that’s good about pedal power, and thankfully went slightly more smoothly than last year’s edition, which was hampered by some unfortunate accidents. This year’s safer, streamlined and better managed event saw the riders depart in staggered time slots early on Sunday morning.

And most had returned by mid-afternoon… just in time to watch the professional men race the Surrey Classic on Green Park's big screen.

A star-studded field threatened to be undone by a breakaway, only for the peloton to reel them back inside the final kilometre, setting the race up for a sprint finish that thrilled the packed crowds down The Mall.

Alexander Kristoff showed impressive legs to sprint clear after the tight turn into the final straight - a particularly surprising burst given the race’s proximity to a gruelling Tour de France.

But one man was notable by his absence in the bunch sprint.

In his hay-day Andre Greipel would have dominated a race such as this, particularly with many of the world’s best sprinters resting up for August fixtures. But the current Greipel is a shadow of his former self and, even with the help of a well-organised train, was not even in the reckoning as the leaders hurtled towards Buckingham Palace.

It’s sad to say, but Sunday in London was final proof that Greipel’s time as a major player in the sport is over.

Saturday’s highlight was the Surrey Classique as the professional women showed off their skills on a demanding looping course around central London.

It is to Ride London’s great credit that they provide a strong platform for both sexes, with each offered the chance to bring the curtain down on a day of the festival and, just as importantly, both awarded the same value prize-money (a world leading £89,500). If more events treated women’s pro-cycling in the same manner then the sport’s growth would become even more rapid.

While the rain kept some away from Saturday’s Classique, the crowds at the finish were still large despite the tumultuous conditions. And they were treated to an entertaining finish, with Sunweb’s talented Coryn Rivera pulling off a Cavendish-esque late manoeuvre to win a tight bunch sprint.

However, for all of Rivera and Kristoff’s brilliance, it was the sport itself that was the real winner of the weekend as thousands of lycra clad men and women slowly pedalled their way home for a well-deserved Sunday night’s rest.

Ride London may only be five years old, but this seemed like the year it came of age.