Participants in “the world’s greatest festival of cycling” raised £11.5m for charity in 2019, organisers of Prudential RideLondon have announced.
The figure is down compared to the 2017 and 2018 events, when riders raised £12.75m and £13m respectively.
Prudential RideLondon’s two-day festival is one of the main sports fundraising events in the UK and features a range of races for both amateurs and professionals on the roads of London and Surrey.
Six-figure sums
Various charities raised six-figure sums in the Prudential RideLondon events. Alzheimer’s Society topped the fundraising chart, with nearly 550 riders raising more than £450,000.
Kiera Ridge, senior events fundraising manager at the Alzheimer’s Society, said: “Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 is a hugely popular event with our supporters and has been a great vehicle for us to raise huge sums to fund our work, with 2019 being no exception.”
British Heart Foundation (BHF), which was the nominated Charity of the Year for Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, the festival’s 100-mile race for amateurs, raised £300,000.
Among the 440 BHF riders was British Olympic champion Dani Rowe, who said that riding “on such iconic roads”, with “so many fans out on the road, cheering us”, was “absolutely amazing”.
Prevent Breast Cancer, Charity of the Year for the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46, raised £122,000. It was the first time that the 46-mile race, which was created with newer and younger cyclists in mind, featured its own Charity of the Year.
Nikki Barraclough, executive director at Prevent Breast Cancer, said it was “a fantastic experience for everyone involved” and that “it gave the charity a wonderful platform to raise awareness on a national level”.
In 2018, Prudential RideLondon was the third highest-raising sports event in the UK, according to data from fundraising agency Massive. Last year’s top fundraiser was Macmillan Cancer Support, whose riders raised more than £500,000.
£77m in seven years
Prudential RideLondon was set up by the Mayor of London in 2013 as a legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games. It says it has since allowed charities to raise more than £77m.
The festival’s eighth edition will take place on 15-16 August 2020. A number of charities reserve places in the races for their riders in advance, and prospective participants can pledge to fundraise and secure a place through their charity of choice.
Pancreatic Cancer UK has been nominated Charity of the Year for the 100-mile amateur race.
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