Boris Johnson Plans London Cycling Marathon
On March 17th, as professional and amateur runners take to the streets of London, Boris Johnson announces plans for The 'London Marathon on Wheels' a parallel race for the world's top pro riders. Scheduled for 2013, the race will see up to 30,000 cyclists taking to the streets on their bikes in a televised race.
According to the Evening Standard, the race, which will be shown on the BBC, is modelled on Cape Town's annual 'Argus', and the estimated 3 million cost would be covered by entry fees and sponsorship. Four possible routes have been proposed: The 2012 Olympic road race with a start/finish in The Mall; then heading out to south-west London and Box Hill; A central London ring following the north/south circular taking in more than 20 boroughs and the Olympic Park; A start/finish in the Olympic Park, including some central London "icons" then heading east into Essex and A Greenwich start; head south to Kent (like the 2007 Tour de France UK stage); and a central London finish.
According to the Evening Standard, the race, which will be shown on the BBC, is modelled on Cape Town's annual 'Argus', and the estimated 3 million cost would be covered by entry fees and sponsorship. Four possible routes have been proposed: The 2012 Olympic road race with a start/finish in The Mall; then heading out to south-west London and Box Hill; A central London ring following the north/south circular taking in more than 20 boroughs and the Olympic Park; A start/finish in the Olympic Park, including some central London "icons" then heading east into Essex and A Greenwich start; head south to Kent (like the 2007 Tour de France UK stage); and a central London finish.