Bradley Wiggins To Cycle Through West Putney
Tour de France champion will pass through twice in his bid for Olympic medal
The 32-year-old Londoner
sealed Britain's first Tour victory on Sunday,
finishing ahead of his Sky team-mate Chris Froome who is also in the GB squad for the road race on Saturday 28th July.
After wining the race in Paris Wiggins said:
"Everything turns to the Olympics and I'll be out on the bike on Monday. I've got an Olympic time trial to try and win."
Putney residents will be able to watch Bradley, 2011 Road World Champion Mark Cavendish MBE, Chris Froome and 142 other competitors speed over Putney Bridge turning on to the Upper Richmond Rd on their way to Richmond Park and back again on Saturday 27th July. The final two GB members are Ian Stannard & David Millar. They are expected in Putney around 10.10am and again around 3.15pm. On Sunday it will be the turn of the ladies with 67 women taking part the GB competitors are Nicole Cooke, Lizzie Armistead, Emma P{ooley & Lucy Martin. The women are expected in Putney around 12.10pm and around 3.15pm - times are not guarenteed and the return racers are expected to be more spread out.
Road racing is the form of competitive cycling most analogous to that done by the general public, with riders competing against each other on conventional roads to complete the course in the fastest time possible.
It has been part of the modern Olympics since the inaugural Summer Games in Athens, Greece in 1896. That year, competitors rode for two laps of the marathon route from Athens to Marathon and back - a distance of 87 kilometres.
The riders will start at The Mall then follow a route through Chelsea and Fulham to Putney Bridge. Crossing the bridge, they will ride down Putney High Street, the Upper Richmond Road and Priory Lane into Richmond Park via Roehampton Gate. Full route map - click here.
From there they will go through Surrey to Dorking and then several times around Box Hill. They will return through Surrey and follow the same route back through Richmond Park and Putney up to The Mall.
The men’s race is about 156 miles long, and the women’s race 87 miles. The competitors all start together and the first past the line is the winner.
Six different London borough, plus five Surrey districts have had to be consulted. There will be some road closures, including Putney High Street.
July 27, 2012
