Surrey prepared for Olympic road race dress rehearsal

Surrey prepared for Olympic road race dress rehearsal

The finishing touches are being put to preparations for the London-Surrey Cycle Classic as the county gets ready to welcome some of the world’s best cyclists.

The 140km race on Sunday 14 August will act as a rehearsal for the Olympic men’s and women’s road races next year, which will take place in Surrey and London.

Mark Cavendish, winner of five stages at last month’s Tour de France, will be joined in the test race by Great Britain team-mates and riders from countries including Australia, America and Japan. Spectators will have unlimited access to watch the elite action for free along nearly all of the 80km loop of Surrey.

Denise Saliagopoulos, Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services and the 2012 Games, said: “This is going to be a special race and a great dress rehearsal for next year’s Olympics. Some of the world’s finest cyclists and strongest national teams will be turning up the pedal power on our doorstep and I’m sure Surrey’s residents will come out in force to cheer them on.

“The test race is a major part of the preparations for next year and we have been working hard with all the organisations involved to ensure its success while keeping disruption to a minimum. However, as with any major sporting event spread across a large area, roads and transport will be affected and we want to make sure everyone has enough time to plan their Sunday.”

Surrey road closures will be in place in some areas from 6am and some roads will not reopen until 2.15pm. This is to allow barriers to be put up and taken down, support staff and emergency services to take their place and crowds to arrive and leave safely. There will be several crossing points along the race route to allow emergency services and public transport to get in and out.

Bus and train services affected by the race can be found by going to http://www.surreycc.gov.uk/busesandtrains. More details on bus routes affected are listed athttp://www.gosurrey.info/cycling/august-14-2011-cycle-race/affected-bus-services-london/.

Residents living along the course and spectators planning to travel to watch the race are advised to avoid using the roads if at all possible and should visit http://www.gosurrey.info for detailed information on closures in Surrey. People who usually park on the route are urged to leave their cars somewhere else the night before the race otherwise they will be towed away. Visit http://www.tfl.gov.uk/testevent for details of road closures and getting around in London.

Spectators are advised to avoid Box Hill, where access is restricted to protect the environment, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Only people with an official wristband can gain entry to the 1.8km Zig Zag Road section. Local residents, children and cyclists received wristbands from LOCOG and all have now been allocated. The county council retained a small number for operational use.

* LOCOG is the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Approximate times at which riders are expected to pass relevant points on the course:
· The Mall – start 09:00 and finish 12:10
· Bushy Park – 09:30
· Hampton Court Palace – 09:35 and 11:40
· Walton-on-Thames – 09:45
· Ripley Village – 10:05
· Gomshall – 10:25
· Westcott – 10:30
· Dorking – 10:35
· Box Hill (restricted access) – between 10:40 and 11:20
· Esher – 11:35
· Kingston upon Thames – 11:50

The London 2012 Olympic men’s and women’s cycling road races will take place on Saturday 28 July and Sunday 29 July respectively.

Public sector organisations in the county formed the Surrey 2012 group with the aim of helping to ensure the Olympic cycle events held within the county are a success. This consists of Surrey County Council and the district and borough councils of Guildford, Woking, Mole Valley, Elmbridge and Reigate and Banstead, as well as Surrey Police, Surrey Fire and Rescue Service, the National Trust, South East Coast Ambulance Service and Natural England.