81-613: The London–Surrey Classic (also known as the RideLondon–Surrey Classic ) was an annual 193 km (119.9 mi) men's professional one-day road cycling race , starting and finishing in London and routed via the picturesque Surrey Hills . The first race of its kind was the London–Surrey Cycle Classic , on 14 August 2011, a 1.2 classification 140 km preparatory event for the 2012 Summer Olympics , which
162-792: A limited company in 1881. The building was designed by Alfred Waterhouse , and is built of terracotta manufactured by Gibbs and Canning of Tamworth (c.1878): two of the same driving forces behind the Natural History Museum in London. The company was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1924. In the mid-1980s, financial deregulation allowed financial institutions to own estate agencies, and Prudential decided to follow early market entrants such as Provident Financial Group plc (Whitegates) and Lloyds Bank (Black Horse Agencies), in summer 1985 by purchasing
243-425: A circuit; some courses combine both, i.e., taking the riders from a starting place and then finishing with several laps of a circuit (usually to ensure a good spectacle for spectators at the finish). Races over short circuits, often in town or city centres, are known as criteriums . Some races, known as handicaps, are designed to match riders of different abilities and/or ages; groups of slower riders start first, with
324-428: A competitor's wheel, forcing the other person to do a greater share of the work in maintaining the pace and to potentially tire earlier. Drafting is not permitted in individual time trials. A group of riders that "breaks away" (a "break") from the peloton has more space and freedom, and can therefore be at an advantage in certain situations. Working together smoothly and efficiently, a small group can potentially maintain
405-587: A course alone against the clock. Stage races or "tours" take multiple days, and consist of several mass-start or time-trial stages ridden consecutively. Professional racing originated in Western Europe, centred in France, Spain, Italy and the Low Countries . Since the mid-1980s, the sport has diversified, with races held at the professional, semi-professional and amateur levels, worldwide. The sport
486-467: A distinctive jersey (yellow in the Tour de France ) and generally maintains a position near the head of the main mass of riders (the peloton), surrounded by team members, whose job it is to protect the leader. Contenders for the general lead may stage "attacks" to distance themselves from the leader in "breakaways". The general leader's vulnerability to breakaways is higher when the escaping rider(s) trail by
567-649: A farm bike that weighed 35 kg. The only woman to finish within 24 hours was the self-styled Miss America , in reality an unknown English woman who, like several in the field, had preferred not to compete under her real name. The increase in organised cycle racing led to the development of national administrative bodies, in Great Britain in 1878, France 1881, the Netherlands 1883, Germany 1884 and Sweden 1900. Sometimes, as in Great Britain, cycling
648-405: A higher speed than the peloton, in which the remaining riders may not be as motivated or organized to chase effectively. Usually a rider or group of riders will try to break from the peloton by attacking and riding ahead to reduce the number of contenders for the win. If the break does not succeed and the body of cyclists comes back together, a sprinter will often win by overpowering competitors in
729-902: A long-established and successful Huntingdon-based firm of estate agents, Ekins, Dilley and Handley, for £12 million. This was originally intended as an experiment allowing the company a new route to market for mortgage-linked endowment policies; however after many other financial institutions followed suit, Prudential rapidly started to embark on an acquisition trail which would quickly see it become market leader in terms of number of offices. Acquisitions included Chestertons Residential and Earl & Lawrence in August 1986, Edward Bailey & Son in January 1987, The Channel Island Estate Agency Property Shop in February 1987, and Rogers & Clark in May 1987. This
810-525: A major event on the Olympic programme ... Like many other sports it has undergone several changes over the years. Just as there used to be track and field events such as the standing high jump or throwing the javelin with both hands, cyclists, too, used to compete for medals in events which today have been forgotten; for example in Athens in 1896, they attempted a 12-hour race, and in London, in 1908, one of
891-456: A pay package worth up to £7.5 million. In August 2017, it was announced that Prudential was to combine its asset manager, M&G, and Prudential UK & Europe to form M&GPrudential . In November 2017, Prudential announced the change in the name of its joint venture with Chinese investment company CITIC to "CITIC Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited". In March 2018, Prudential announced that it would demerge M&GPrudential from
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#1732791328053972-567: A pre-determined course within a specified time limit. The most commonly used bicycle in road races are simply known as racing bicycles . Their design is strictly regulated by the UCI, the sport's governing body. Specialist time trial bicycles are used for time trial events. Bicycles approved for use under UCI regulations must be made available for commercial sale and it is commonplace for amateur cyclists to own bicycles that are identical to those used to win major races. Clothing worn for road racing
1053-436: A small time difference in the general ranking, and as number of remaining stages diminishes. Riders, who finish in the stage ranking behind the general leader, increase their cumulative time disadvantage. Whereas those who finish ahead of the general leader decrease their time disadvantage and may even gain sufficient time to unseat the general leader. After each stage, the racer with the lowest cumulative time becomes (or remains)
1134-413: A smaller operational restructure. On 1 March 2010, Prudential announced that it was in "advanced talks" to purchase the pan-Asian life insurance company of AIG , American International Assurance (AIA) for approximately £23 billion. The deal later collapsed, and AIA ended up raising money in an IPO. In December 2013, Prudential announced the purchase of Ghana's Express Life Company. Express Life
1215-444: A specified percentage of the winner's finishing time, to be permitted to start the next day's stage. Often, riders in this situation band together to minimize the effort required to finish within the time limit; this group of riders is known as the gruppetto or autobus . In one-day racing, professionals who no longer have any chance to affect the race outcome will routinely withdraw, even if they are uninjured and capable of riding to
1296-469: A stage race, used to determine which rider wears the leader's jersey on the first stage) to between approximately 20 miles (32 km) and 60 miles (97 km). Stage races consist of several races, or stages , ridden consecutively. The competitor with the lowest cumulative time to complete all stages is declared the overall, or general classification (GC), winner. Stage races may also have other classifications and awards, such as individual stage winners,
1377-414: A strong domestique in a breakaway (rather than the designated team leader). If the domestique is a good chance to win if the breakaway is not brought back, it places the onus on other teams with favoured riders to expend energy chasing the breakaway, impeding their efforts to assist their leader in the final stages of the race. For instance, in the 2012 London Olympics men's road race the outright favourite
1458-959: A three-week stage race principally through France and ending in Paris, the Giro d'Italia in Italy, and the Vuelta a España in Spain. Each of these races is considered a " Grand Tour ". Professional racing is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale . In 2005 it instituted the UCI ProTour (renamed UCI World Tour in 2011) to replace the UCI Road World Cup series. While the World Cup contained only one-day races,
1539-661: A week. The race is sanctioned by the UltraMarathon Cycling Association (UMCA). RAAM and similar events allow (and often require) racers to be supported by a team of staff; there are also ultra-distance bicycle races that prohibit all external support, such as the Transcontinental Race and the Indian Pacific Wheel Race . The related activity of randonneuring is not strictly a form of racing, but involves cycling
1620-510: A white jersey with colored bands (often called "rainbow bands") around the chest. In Australia, due to the relatively mild winters and hot summers, the amateur road racing season runs from autumn to spring, through the winter months, while criterium races are held in the mornings or late afternoons during the summer. Some professional events, including the Tour Down Under , are held in the southern summer, mainly to avoid clashing with
1701-679: Is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index . It also has secondary listings on the New York Stock Exchange and Singapore Exchange . The company was founded in Hatton Garden in London in May 1848 as The Prudential, Investment, Loan, and Assurance Association and in September 1848 changed its name to The Prudential Mutual Assurance, Investment, and Loan Association, to provide loans to professional and working people. In 1854,
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#17327913280531782-443: Is designed to improve aerodynamics and improve rider comfort. The rider's shorts contain padding to improve comfort, and materials are chosen to manage rider temperature, manage sweat, and keep the rider as warm and dry as feasible in wet conditions. Cycling jerseys were originally made of wool; modern jerseys are made of synthetic fabrics such as lycra . Bicycle helmets were made mandatory for professional road racing in 2003, after
1863-512: Is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). As well as the UCI's annual World Championships for men and women, the biggest event is the Tour de France , a three-week race that can attract over 500,000 roadside supporters a day. Road racing in its modern form originated in the late 19th century. It began as an organized sport in 1868. The sport was popular in the western European countries of France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy, and some of those earliest road bicycle races remain among
1944-505: Is not long enough to let the drafting effect (which is then working at full power again) make the bunch catch up, making a climb escape even more attractive. Wind conditions can also make otherwise routine sections of a course potentially selective. Crosswinds, particularly, alter the position of the "shadow" when drafting a rider, usually placing it diagonally behind the lead rider, forming a line of riders called an echelon . To take advantage of this, an attacking rider rides at high speed at
2025-440: Is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling , held primarily on paved roads . Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common competition formats are mass start events, where riders start simultaneously (though sometimes with a handicap ) and race to a set finish point; and time trials , where individual riders or teams race
2106-582: Is the rider who takes the lowest aggregate time to complete all stages (accordingly, a rider does not have to win all or any of the individual stages to win overall). Three-week stage races are called Grand Tours. The professional road bicycle racing calendar includes three Grand Tours – the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España. Ultra-distance cycling races are very long single stage events where
2187-644: The RideLondon Classique . In June 2021, organisers of the event confirmed that the men's race would not return. The RideLondon–Surrey Classic route was a variation of the course used for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The route featured both categorised climbs and intermediate sprint points. Riders started from the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park close to the Olympic Velodrome before passing close to Canary Wharf and
2268-617: The Tower of London on the way through central London. Leaving London by the A4 the route passes through Richmond Park , Kingston upon Thames and Hampton Court Palace . In Surrey the route passed through Weybridge and Ripley on the way to the first of the categorised climbs and the leafy villages of the Surrey Hills. Multiple laps of hilly terrain in the vicinity of Dorking incorporated further categorised climbs, including Leith Hill –
2349-459: The points classification winner, and the " King of the Mountains " (or mountains classification) winner. A stage race can also be a series of road races and individual time trials (some events include team time trials ). The stage winner is the first person to cross the finish line that day or the time trial rider (or team) with the lowest time on the course. The overall winner of a stage race
2430-524: The race clock continuously runs from start to finish. Their sanctioning bodies are usually independent of the UCI. They usually last several days and the riders take breaks on their own schedules, with the winner being the first one to cross the finish line. Among the best-known ultramarathons is the Race Across America (RAAM), a coast-to-coast non-stop, single-stage race in which riders cover approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km) in about
2511-512: The slipstream of the rider in front. Riding in the main field, or peloton , can save as much as 40% of the energy employed in forward motion when compared to riding alone. Some teams designate a leader, whom the rest of the team is charged with keeping out of the wind and in good position until a critical section of the race. This can be used as a strength or a weakness by competitors; riders can cooperate and draft each other to ride at high speed (a paceline or echelon ), or one rider can sit on
London–Surrey Classic - Misplaced Pages Continue
2592-443: The 2016 season. Within the discipline of road racing, from young age different cyclists have different (relative) strengths and weaknesses. Depending on these, riders tend to prefer different events over particular courses, and perform different tactical roles within a team. The main specialities in road bicycle racing are: In a stage race a stage ranking is drawn up at the end of each stage, showing for each participating rider
2673-718: The 2017 event and in August 2016 the UCI confirmed that the race would be promoted to the WorldTour from 2017. Surrey County Council agreed to support the RideLondon events until 2018, with an option of a further two-year extension. The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Following the withdrawal of title sponsor Prudential and Surrey County Council , the event has concentrated in Central London from 2022 with an 3-day elite women's race,
2754-549: The Group; the demerger was completed on 21 October 2019. In 2021, the company demerged its US business leaving it focused solely on African and Asian markets. As of March 2022, 60 percent of Prudential's head office staff were based in Hong Kong, and fewer than 200 employees were in London. The company has two business units: Prudential were the inaugural sponsor of RideLondon, an annual two-day cycling festival, held for
2835-559: The Olympic Road Cycling races. RideLondon is managed by the London & Surrey Cycling Partnership, a joint venture between the organisers of the London Marathon and The Tour of Britain . The inaugural RideLondon–Surrey Classic was run as a 1.1 category event on the 2013 UCI Europe Tour . The UCI upgraded the classification for the 2014 race which was run as a 1.HC category event on the 2014 UCI Europe Tour ;
2916-728: The Parc de St-Cloud inspired the Compagnie Parisienne and the magazine Le Vélocipède Illustré to run a race from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to the cathedral in Rouen on 7 November 1869. It was the world's first long-distance road race and also won by Moore, who took 10 hours and 25 minutes to cover 134 km. The runners-up were the Count André Castéra, who had come second to Moore at St-Cloud, and Jean Bobillier, riding
2997-620: The UK market. In April 2008, Prudential outsourced its back office functions to Capita : about 3,000 jobs were transferred (1,000 in Stirling , 750 in Reading and 1,250 in Mumbai ). This significant outsourcing deal, worth an estimated £722m over a 15-year contract, built on Prudential's existing relationship with Capita, who took over its Belfast operation in 2006 along with about 450 employees in
3078-802: The United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland and the United States continue to produce world-class cyclists. The first women's road championships were held in France in 1951 . A women's road race discipline was added to the UCI Road World Championships at the 31st edition of the World Championships in 1958 in Reims . Professional single-day race distances may be as long as 180 miles (290 km). Courses may run from place to place or comprise one or more laps of
3159-476: The West of Scotland Life Insurance Company, for £1.75 bn. In 1998, Prudential set up Egg , an internet bank in the UK. The subsidiary reached 550,000 customers within nine months, but had difficulty achieving profitability. In June 2000, an initial public offering of 21% was made to allow for further growth of the internet business, but in February 2006 Prudential decided to repurchase the 21% share of Egg. Egg
3240-687: The World Tour includes the Grand Tours and other large stage races such as Critérium du Dauphiné , Paris–Nice , Tour de Suisse and the Volta a Catalunya . The former UCI Road World Cup one-day classic cycle races – which include all five " Monuments " – were also part of the ProTour: Milan–San Remo (Italy), Tour of Flanders (Belgium), Paris–Roubaix (France), Liège–Bastogne–Liège (Belgium) and Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands) in
3321-544: The cancellation of the 2020 and 2021 events due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the withdrawal of support from Surrey County Council , the men's race did not return in 2022, with the RideLondon festival including a 3 day elite women's race ( RideLondon Classique ) instead. As part of the London Prepares test events for London 2012 Olympics and Paralympics a one-off one-day 140 km (87.0 mi) cycle race
London–Surrey Classic - Misplaced Pages Continue
3402-521: The company began selling the relatively new concept of Industrial Branch insurance policies to the working class population for premiums as low as one penny a week through agents acting as door to door salesmen . The army of premium collection agents was for many years identified with the Prudential as the "Man from the Pru". The company moved to its long-time home at Holborn Bars in 1879 and converted to
3483-547: The company's presence in Africa. Prudential has since entered six other African countries – Uganda in 2015, Zambia in 2016, Nigeria in 2017, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire and Togo in 2019. On 10 March 2015, it was announced that the CEO, Tidjane Thiam , would leave Prudential to become the next CEO of Credit Suisse . On 1 May 2015, it was announced that Mike Wells , head of the company's US business, would succeed Tidjane Thiam as CEO, on
3564-415: The completion time of the stage. The one with the lowest completion time wins the stage. At the same time a general ranking shows the cumulative finishing times of all prior stages for each participating rider. A rider who does not complete any of the stages within its respective time limit is disqualified. The one with the lowest total cumulative time is the general leader. The general leader typically wears
3645-484: The cyclists start the race at different times so that each start is fair and equal. Unlike individual time trials where competitors are not permitted to 'draft' (ride in the slipstream) behind each other, in team time trials, riders in each team employ this as their main tactic, each member taking a turn at the front while teammates 'sit in' behind. Race distances vary from a few km (typically a prologue, an individual time trial of usually less than 5 miles (8.0 km) before
3726-436: The death of cyclist Andrey Kivilev . A number of tactics are employed to reach the objective of a race. This objective is being the first to cross the finish line in the case of a single-stage race, and clocking the least aggregate finish time in the case of a multi-stage race. Tactics are based on the aerodynamic benefit of drafting , whereby a rider can significantly reduce the required pedal effort by closely following in
3807-406: The descent, as going downhill alone allows for more maneuvering space and therefore higher speeds than when in a bunch. In addition, because the bunch riders are keeping more space between them for safety reasons, their drafting benefits are again reduced. If this action takes place relatively close to the target (e.g. another bunch ahead, or the finish), the ride over flatter terrain after the descent
3888-557: The equivalent of about sixteen months' pay for a French manual worker. The first international body was the International Cycling Association (ICA), established by an English schoolteacher named Henry Sturmey , the founder of Sturmey-Archer . It opened in 1893 and held its first world championship in Chicago, United States, the same year. A new organisation, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI),
3969-411: The events was a sprint for 603.49 metres (659.98 yards)." The Olympic Games has never been as important in road cycling as in other sports. Until the distinction ended, the best riders were professionals rather than amateurs and so did not take part. Law enforcement always escort the athletes to ensure they are kept safe during the cycling events, especially the road races. The success of the races in
4050-421: The fastest riders starting last and so having to race harder and faster to catch other competitors. Individual time trial (ITT) is an event in which cyclists race alone against the clock on flat or rolling terrain, or up a mountain road. A team time trial (TTT), including two-man team time trial, is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock. In both team and individual time trials,
4131-496: The fifty-two strong chain of Reeds Rains for £24 million. The collapse of the housing market in the south of England in 1989 brought about a slump in income at Prudential Property Services, which during the first half of 1990 lost £23 million. Prudential had been closing branches, with 100 closing between December 1988 and May 1990. After these losses were announced, another 175 branches closed in July 1990. In May 1991 Prudential sold
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#17327913280534212-408: The final sprint to the finish line. Across a long stage race, such as a Grand Tour, the winner's average speed is usually near 40 km/h. In more organized races, a SAG wagon ("support and gear") or broom wagon follows the race to pick up stragglers. In professional stage racing riders who are not in a position to win the race or assist a teammate, will usually attempt to ride to the finish within
4293-555: The final stretch. Teamwork between riders, both pre-arranged and ad hoc, is important in many aspects: in preventing or helping a successful break, and sometimes in delivering a sprinter to the front of the field. To make the course more selective, races often feature difficult sections such as tough climbs, fast descents, and sometimes technical surfaces (such as the cobbled pavé used in the Paris–Roubaix race). The effects of drafting are reduced in these difficult sections, allowing
4374-425: The finish. While the principle remains that the winner is the first to cross the line, many riders are grouped together in teams, usually with commercial sponsors. On professional and semi-professional teams, team names are typically synonymous with the primary sponsors. As an example, some prominent professional teams of the last 30 years have been Team Telekom , Rabobank , ONCE , Mapei and Lampre . The size of
4455-529: The first time in 2013. The 2017 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 set a new fundraising record for the event, with £12.75 million raised for charity, bringing the total raised by the event to more than £53 million in its first five years. The event was developed by the Mayor of London and his agencies and is organised by the London & Surrey Cycling Partnership. The main events are a 100-mile professional road race through Surrey and London, and an amateur race along
4536-665: The front of the peloton, on the opposite side of the road from which the crosswind is blowing. Following riders are unable to fully shelter from the wind. If such tactics are maintained for long enough, a weaker rider somewhere in the line will be unable to keep contact with the rider directly ahead, causing the peloton to split up. As well as exceptional fitness, successful riders must develop excellent bike handling skills to ride at high speeds in close quarters with other riders. Individual riders can reach speeds of 110 km/h (68 mph) while descending winding mountain roads and may reach 60–80 km/h (37–50 mph) level speeds during
4617-408: The general leader. The general leader does not generally react to breakaways by riders who trail substantially in cumulative time. Such escapes usually achieve other goals, such as winning the stage, collecting sprinting or mountain points, or just creating air time for their team sponsors as a dedicated camera bike typically accompanies the escape. Notable cycling races include the Tour de France ,
4698-465: The governing body of pro cycling, voted to phase in a ban on the use of team radios in men's elite road racing. However, after protests from teams, the ban introduced in 2011 excluded races on the top-level men's and women's circuits (the UCI World Tour and UCI Women's Road World Cup ) and in 2015 the UCI reversed its stance, allowing race radios to be used in class HC and class 1 events from
4779-607: The highest point in South-East England. On the return to London the route took in the final categorised climb of Box Hill before the largely flat run-in via Oxshott , Kingston upon Thames, Wimbledon and Putney . The final kilometres followed the Embankment , past the Palace of Westminster , along Whitehall and turning left through Admiralty Arch before the finish on The Mall. Intermediate Sprints counted towards
4860-412: The leader's chances, taking turns in the wind for him, refusing to chase with the peloton when he or she escapes, and so on. The goal is usually to allow the leader to have enough energy to take off at the critical point of the race and go on to victory. However, there can be many alternative scenarios depending on the strength of teams and the race situation. One example of team tactics involves placing
4941-440: The major northern hemisphere races and allowing top professionals to compete. Prudential plc Prudential plc is a British-domiciled multinational insurance and asset management company headquartered in London and Hong Kong . It was founded in London in May 1848 to provide loans to professional and working people. Prudential has dual primary listings on the London Stock Exchange and Hong Kong Stock Exchange , and
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#17327913280535022-554: The modern sequence started in Athens in 1896 . Historically, the most competitive and devoted countries since the beginning of 20th century were Belgium, France and Italy, then road cycling spread in Colombia , Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg , the Netherlands , Portugal , Spain and Switzerland after World War II . However, as the sport grows in popularity through globalization, countries such as Kazakhstan , Australia, Russia, Slovakia , South Africa , Ecuador , New Zealand, Norway,
5103-601: The race, and was won by Mark Cavendish in a sprint finish. The 2012 Summer Olympics held road cycling races for both men and women on a largely similar course to that of the London-Surrey Cycle Classic held the previous year. The RideLondon weekend, including the RideLondon–Surrey Classic, was announced by the Mayor of London Boris Johnson on 10 August 2012, less than two weeks after
5184-651: The remainder of the chain for a total of £13.5 million, representing a 90% loss on the cost of acquisition. Some branches were purchased by their original owners for fractions of the price they had received from the Prudential just a few years earlier. For example, the Prudential Property Services office in Hanwell was originally an independent agency, purchased by Prudential for £200,000: it was subsequently sold off to Rolfe East Estate Agents for £1. The western division of Prudential Property Services
5265-428: The riders and the team director, who travels in a team car behind the race and monitors the overall situation. The influence of radios on race tactics is a topic of discussion among the cycling community, with some arguing that the introduction of radios in the 1990s has devalued the tactical knowledge of individual riders and has led to less exciting racing. In September 2009, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI),
5346-412: The same classification as Paris–Tours and Milano–Torino . The RideLondon event director, Hugh Brasher, stated his ambitions to attain UCI World Tour status for the RideLondon–Surrey Classic by 2016. This was backed up by positive rider reaction following the inaugural race, including from Arnaud Démare's teammate Dominique Rollin . In March 2016 the race organisation applied for WorldTour status from
5427-494: The season depend on the hemisphere. A racing year is divided between lesser races, single-day classics and stage races. The classics include the Tour of Flanders , Paris–Roubaix and Milan–San Remo . The other important one-day race is the World Championships . Unlike other classics, the World Championships is held on a different course each year and ridden by national rather than sponsored teams. The winner wears
5508-547: The sport's biggest events. These early races include Liège–Bastogne–Liège (established 1892), Paris–Roubaix (1896), the Tour de France (1903), the Milan–San Remo and Giro di Lombardia (1905), the Giro d'Italia (1909), the Volta a Catalunya (1911), and the Tour of Flanders (1913). They provided a template for other races around the world. Cycling has been part of the Summer Olympic Games since
5589-423: The spring, and Clásica de San Sebastián (Spain), HEW Cyclassics (Germany), Züri-Metzgete (Switzerland, until 2006), Paris–Tours (France, until 2007) and Giro di Lombardia (Italy) in the autumn season. Cycling has been a discipline in the summer Olympics ever since the birth of the modern Olympic movement. Cycling activist, co-organizer of Peace Race , Włodzimierz Gołębiewski said: "Cycling has become
5670-474: The sprints classification; the points distribution for this classification is as follows: Note that points were not awarded at the finish line. Categorised climbs counted towards the King of the Mountains classification; the points distribution for this classification is as follows: The categorised climbs that featured in the RideLondon–Surrey Classic included: Road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing
5751-449: The strongest riders in the conditions to drop weaker riders, reducing the number of direct competitors able to take the win. Weather, particularly wind, is also an important discriminating factor. Climbs are excellent places for a single rider to try to break away from a bunch, as the lower riding speeds in a climb seriously reduce the drafting advantage of the bunch. The escaping rider can then further capitalize on that rider's position in
5832-401: The team varies, from three in an amateur event for club riders to eight in professional races. Team riders decide between themselves, before and during the race, who has the best chance of winning. The choice will depend on hills, the chances that the whole field will finish together in a sprint, and other factors. The other riders on the team, or domestiques , will devote themselves to promoting
5913-456: Was however done at great cost. Although a typical cost of establishing a new estate agency branch was around £75,000–£100,000, Prudential paid a total of £125 million for 337 of its branches: an average cost per branch of £371,000. In 1986, Prudential acquired the American insurer Jackson National Life . In the same year, amongst many other acquisitions, Prudential Property Services acquired
5994-567: Was organised for 14 August 2011 acting as a test event for the Road Cycling events to be held the following year. The race was named the London-Surrey Cycle Classic and was part of the 2010–11 UCI Europe Tour as a 1.2 category event. The race started and finished on The Mall in London and featured two laps of a 15.5 km (9.6 mi) circuit centred on Box Hill in Surrey. 138 riders from 19 national teams and 10 trade teams took part in
6075-704: Was originally administered as part of athletics , since cyclists often used the tracks used by runners . This, according to historian James McGurn, led to disputes within countries and internationally. The Bicycle Union [of Britain], having quarrelled with the Amateur Athletic Association over cycle race jurisdiction on AAA premises, took issue with the Union Vélocipèdique de France over the French body's willingness to allow its " amateurs " to compete for prizes of up to 2,000 francs,
6156-588: Was set up on 15 April 1900 during the Olympic Games in Paris, by several European countries and the United States. Great Britain was not initially a member, but joined in 1903. The UCI, based in Switzerland, has run the sport ever since. In its home in Europe and in the United States, cycle racing on the road is a summer sport, although the season can start in early spring and end in autumn. The months of
6237-548: Was sold to Scottish Widows to join their Connells Estate Agents chain. The northern division was sold in a £3.4 million management buyout reverting to the name, Reeds Rains, the south east division was sold to become Arun Estates, and Chestertons and another region were sold to the Woolwich Property Services . In 1997, Prudential acquired Scottish Amicable, a business founded in 1826 in Glasgow as
6318-541: Was sprinter Mark Cavendish riding for the team of Great Britain. Another favoured rider was Matthew Goss riding for the Australian team. By placing Stuart O'Grady in the breakaway, the Australian team was able to force the British team to take primary responsibility for the chase and absolve themselves of the responsibility. In professional races, team coordination is often performed by radio communication between
6399-670: Was subsequently rebranded as Prudential Ghana. In April 2014, Prudential launched two corporate responsibility initiatives to support education in Ghana: the Prudential Scholarship Programme for more than 500 senior high school students, in partnership with the NGO Plan Ghana; and a scheme to support actuarial science graduates. In September 2014, Prudential purchased Kenyan life insurer Shield Assurance and rebranded it as Prudential Kenya, further expanding
6480-521: Was subsequently sold to Citibank in January 2007. In 1999, M&G , a UK fund management company, was acquired. In June 2000, the company was first listed on the New York Stock Exchange to help focus on the US market. In February 2002, Churchill bought Prudential's general insurance business. In October 2004, Prudential launched a new subsidiary, PruHealth , a joint venture with Discovery Holdings of South Africa selling private medical insurance to
6561-563: Was won by sprinter Mark Cavendish . The men's and women's Olympic road races were held on a longer variation of the same course the following year. On 4 August 2013, the race found a permanent home as part of the Prudential RideLondon weekend, a two-day cycling festival held in London, a legacy event of the Olympics. The Prudential RideLondon–Surrey Classic was part of the UCI World Tour between 2017 and 2019. Following
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