London–Surrey Cycle Classic
The London–Surrey Cycle Classic was a one-off, one-day bicycle race that served as one of three U.K. events in the year-long 2010–11 UCI Europe Tour and acted as the test event for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The race was part of the London Prepares series of events. The race was run over most of the Olympic course, starting in the Mall and heading into Surrey, where the riders completed two laps of the Box Hill loop before making their way back to the Mall. The course took the riders through or beside four Royal Parks and six London Boroughs. Most of the riders represented countries instead of trade teams; however, there were several, mainly British, trade teams in the race with England being classified as one of them. The race was won by 2011 Tour de France Green Jersey winner Mark Cavendish.
Sprint finish on the Mall, as winner Mark Cavendish launches his bid to win.
The four-man breakaway. Right to left: Murray, Weber, House and Holohan in Ripley
Nicole Cooke – seen here a year before in the Flèche Wallon, Belgium – accused the organisers of sexism
London Prepares series is the banner under which the test events for the 2012 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games were held. The events which make up the series took place in 2011 and 2012.
Stitched panorama of the interior of the London Aquatics Centre during a London Prepares synchronised swimming event