The weather that greeted riders at the start of the 2018 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey sportives may have dampened rain jackets but it certainly did not dampen spirits.
A total of 26,270 riders completed the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, 46 and 19 sportives in wet and windy conditions and among them were plenty of famous faces.
BBC Breakfast presenters, Olympic gold medallists and Rugby World Cup winners cycled alongside the masses to complete the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100.
Louise Minchin and Naga Munchetty, from BBC Breakfast, both completed the ride with Munchetty, who was riding for the Action for A-T charity, saying it was an ‘amazing experience’.
England’s Rugby World Cup-winning captain Martin Johnson is a regular at Prudential RideLondon and he completed his fifth 100 miles last weekend – though he suffered with punctures on his way into the finish.
Johnson’s former team-mate Rory Underwood also had three mechanical problems on an eventful ride but was delighted to have made the finish line on The Mall.
Underwood – who has raised £7,500 for Alzheimer’s Research UK so far and is aiming to reach a target of £10,000 – said: “Riding out in the towns and villages and seeing and hearing so many people supporting you was very motivating.
“I finished in just under nine hours and cycling down The Mall was a great experience.”
Many of the Olympians were riding for the charity SportsAid – the charity which helps promising young athletes – and set off together including the rowers Heather Stanning, Jess Eddie and Olivia Carnegie-Brown,
Pop star Lemar and Olympic gold medallist rower Mark Hunter were both riding their third Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100s and were among the earlier riders home.
Gail Emms, Olympic silver medallist in badminton, and Pamela Cookey, former England Netball international, were part of the Skoda-Telegraph cycling team.
Among those who finished the ride, were two participants who are now looking to earn their London Classics medal at Swim Serpentine on Saturday 22 September.
Olympic medallists Leon Taylor, who won silver in diving at the 2004 Games and who is now a BBC commentator, and rower Mel Wilson, who won silver at the 2016 Games, have both now completed the Virgin Money London Marathon and Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100.
The London Classics medal is awarded to those who have completed the Virgin Money London Marathon, the two-mile Swim Serpentine and the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100.
Double Olympic champion Kelly Holmes and another BBC Breakfast presenter, Charlie Stayt, were among the riders who completed the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 46.
The ballot for the 2019 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 open on Monday (August 6). Visit our entries page for more information.
