Olympic dress rehearsal hailed success

Tens of thousands of spectators lined roads to cheer British hero Mark Cavendish to London-Surrey Cycle Classic victory.
The race acted as a dress rehearsal for next year’s men’s and women’s Olympic road races, which take place on Saturday 28 July and Sunday 29 July respectively.

Surrey County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services and the 2012 Games Denise Saliagopoulos said:
“The event was a great success and it was wonderful to see many thousands of people come out and enjoy an amazing experience.
It was an important part of our preparations to make sure the real thing goes off without a glitch and I’m delighted it went so smoothly, with all road closures lifted by around 2pm.”

“An event on this scale takes a great deal of hard work and all our partners, particularly Surrey Police and the borough and district councils, did an excellent job of making it run so well. Some of the world’s finest cyclists and best national teams powered their way along nearly 50 miles of Surrey’s roads and gave us a thrilling glimpse of what’s in store next year.”

“The racing was spectacular and it was made even more so by the backdrop of our breathtaking countryside. Mark’s win was a fantastic way to top it all off and now we look forward to welcoming the world to Surrey next year.”

“Those Olympic races will bring Surrey huge economic, sporting and cultural benefits and offer a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch history unfold on our doorstep for free.”

Cavendish was victorious over the 87-mile route, beating the challenge of Italy’s Sacha Modolo and France’s Samuel Dumoulin, who finished second and third 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.