The Ford RideLondon Classique will not take place in 2025 after the UCI moved its position on the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar to a date when London cannot host the event.
Hugh Brasher, Event Director of Ford RideLondon and CEO of organisers London Marathon Events (LME), called it a “sad day for professional women’s cycling”, after revealing there was no option but to cancel the professional women’s event that has been described as the “marquee event” for the world’s top sprinters.
Brasher said: “We were extremely surprised to be informed by the UCI on 26 March 2024 that the 2025 Ford RideLondon Classique had been moved on the UCI Women’s WorldTour calendar from the last complete weekend in May [23-25 May] to a new date a week later [30 May-1 June]. There was no consultation or prior warning and the news came despite LME previously being advised by the UCI that there would be no changes to the calendar until 2026.
“Major events in London, one of the world’s biggest capital cities, are planned many years ahead and it is impossible for the Ford RideLondon Classique to take place in central London on the new dates proposed unilaterally by the UCI. Alternative dates at this late stage are impossible.
“The UCI will not reverse this decision or allow two Women’s WorldTour events to take place on the same weekend.
“Therefore, sadly, it will not be possible to stage the Ford RideLondon Classique in 2025. It is a very sad day for professional women’s cycling.
“The Classique was one of the higher profile events on the UCI Women’s WorldTour, taking place in one of the world’s most influential cities with extensive sponsorship support and live coverage on BBC TV and internationally. Many teams and riders cite the event as one of their top races of the year.
“RideLondon is the most successful legacy event from the 2012 Olympic Games and we are delighted that none of the other events that make the day the world’s largest one-day cycling event are affected.”
The Ford RideLondon Classique is known as the world’s number one stage race for sprinters.
British star Lizzie Deignan (Lidl-Trek) said after this year’s race which was held between May 24 and May 26: “The Ford RideLondon Classique has the best riders in the world, the best sprinter in the world (Lorena Wiebes), and it’s attracting the fastest female cyclists in the world.
“There aren’t that many races on the calendar anymore that are completely suited to sprinters, and I think that the Ford RideLondon Classique is a bit of a marquee event in terms that the best sprinters come here wanting to prove they are the best sprinter in the world. It’s a great opportunity for them. It’s a bit like the Champs-Elysées [which is the iconic finish on the final stage of the Tour de France in central Paris].
“It’s brilliant to race such a well-organised race. It makes a huge difference to the staff, to the riders, we couldn’t have asked for more from that perspective.”