Former Tour de France yellow jersey wearer David Millar will swap Lycra for a city suit on Saturday, 1 August, when he goes for mini-wheeled glory in the 10th Brompton World Championship Final, one of five events at the Prudential RideLondon festival of cycling this weekend.
Millar will join 500 smartly-dressed Bromptoneers from over 34 different countries racing their famous folding bikes around a 1.3-mile circuit that starts on The Mall, takes in Horse Guards Parade and passes Buckingham Palace before finishing back on The Mall.
Rules for the race, held in London for the first time, mean that no Lycra is allowed and the be-suited contestants begin by running Le Mans-style from the Start Line to unfold their bikes as quickly as possible before setting off on the scenic circuit, which they will complete eight times.
“My biggest concern is what to wear and whether I’ll make it off the Start Line,” said Millar. “I have my Brompton and am in intense training … well, sort of, not really.
“All racing should be like this, although I can feel the pressure as my family will be there and they expect me to perform; they will be disappointed if I don’t put on a good show.”
Millar, who rode to four Tour de France stage wins during his 17-year career, is not the only ex-professional in this year’s race, which also boasts former national time trial champion Michael Hutchinson.
Now an award-winning cycling writer, Hutchinson is aiming for a fourth Brompton title having won the World Championship Final three times in a row from 2011 to 2013.
Ian Drake, chief executive of British Cycling, will also be one to watch after finishing 36th in 2013, while Brompton Bicycle’s CEO Will Butler-Adams is racing for company pride, and to beat his own father.
Built for cities, Brompton bikes have been made in London since they were first designed by Andrew Ritchie in 1975, making the Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix circuit the perfect backdrop for the 10th World Championship Final, which will start immediately after the Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle when some 70,000 cyclists are expected to enjoy the freedom of traffic-free roads through Westminster, Camden and the City.
It will be followed by the Prudential RideLondon Grand Prix criterium, featuring some of the top women road racers in the world, plus two youth races showcasing the leading teenage talent in the UK.