PRUDENTIAL RIDELONDON RAISES RECORD-BREAKING £10 MILLION FOR CHARITY
The 2014 Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100, part of the Mayor of London’s award-winning annual festival of cycling, has set a new UK fundraising record after the 20,709 finishers raised more than £10 million for charity.
The new record is £3 million more than the sum raised at the inaugural event in 2013 when 16,000 riders raised more than £7 million to set a new UK record for a one day cycling event.
Despite the wind and heavy rain during the 2014 event, which meant that the route was shortened for safety reasons to 86 miles, the average sum raised for charity by a fundraising rider was again over £900.
The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: “Prudential RideLondon is more than just a fantastic celebration of cycling; it is also an event that raises millions for charity. I applaud the effort of this year’s riders, who overcame such difficult conditions, and their generous sponsors, in raising the bar for next year’s ride by generating a record-breaking sum of money for worthy causes.”
“To raise £10 million for charity in our second year is a phenomenal achievement,” said Event Director Hugh Brasher. “We are extremely proud of the commitment of our riders, who cycled through some of the most challenging conditions imaginable, and the generosity of their supporters and we plan to help raise even more for charity in future years.”
Cathy Lewis, Executive Director at Prudential UK, said: “We are incredibly proud of everyone who took on this challenge to raise money for charity. So many people gave so generously to provide a fantastic boost to good causes up and down the country.”
Children with Cancer UK was one of the many charities that raised a six-figure sum and has already started work planning its fundraising for next year’s Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100.
“This year 325 cyclists joined our Children with Cancer UK cycling team for the Prudential Ride London-Surrey 100,” said Ben Twyman, Head of Events at Children with Cancer UK. “We are thrilled that more than £300,000 has been raised to help in our fight against childhood cancer. This is a fantastic event and we look forward to raising even more in 2015.”
The ballot for places in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 - which takes place on 2 August 2015 - closes at 17:00 on Tuesday 6 January 2015. Sign up at www.PrudentialRideLondon.co.uk