Chris Froome Will Race through Borough's Streets on Sunday

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Tour de France winner confirmed for Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic

Chris Froome will race through the streets of Hammersmith and Fulham this Sunday, just a week after winning the Tour de France for the third time.

He will race in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic cycle ride, which passes through Hammersmith on the outward journey and Fulham via Putney bridge on the return.

Chris said: "I think I'll ride RideLondon next Sunday as a one-day race before we fly to Rio, and then we'll be there for a week before (the road race), to look at the roads and start training again."

It will be a rare opportunity to see him in the UK, as despite his best intentions, he has not raced here very often.

He added: "The last few years, I haven't done much racing in the UK. Time wise it didn't work out. The Tour of Britain conflicted with the Vuelta
(a Espana), national championships conflicted with my tapering and training for the Tour. This seems like the perfect opportunity to go over to London.

" It will be a massive honour to engage with the British fans, which I haven't been able to do."

Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic Race Director Mick Bennett said: "We are thrilled to have Tour de France champion Chris Froome riding for Team Sky at this year’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic.

" His performance over the last three weeks has enthralled the country and we are proud Chris has chosen the Classic as his last race before Rio. Now British fans have the chance to watch him in action and cheer on the man who has achieved the incredible feat of three Tour de France wins. We expect thousands to come out and line the streets of London and Surrey.

"It confirms the important place the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic now holds in the international calendar. The fact that the three-time winner of the Tour de France views this race as the perfect preparation for his bid for Olympic gold shows the calibre of the race we have developed in just three years.

" In addition to Chris, Team Sky is also bringing Geraint Thomas and Ian Stannard, proven winners in their own right, and with Steve Cummings (Dimension Data) also in the field, it means that four of Team GB’s five road racers for Rio are racing on Sunday."

The event will earlier involve more than 26,000 riders taking part in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 – many cycling in aid of charity.

Find out more about the rides, routes and road closures on the day on the website.

July 25, 2016