Teams and riders dissatisfied with lack of live coverage at RideLondon Classique

LONDON ENGLAND MAY 29 LR Eleonora Camilla Gasparrini of Italy and Team Valcar Travel Service Leah Kirchmann of Canada and Team DSM Christine Majerus of Luxembourg and Team SD Worx and a general view of the peloton competing in front of The Big Ben during the 5th RideLondon Classique 2022 Stage 3 a 835km stage from London to London RideLondon UCIWWT on May 29 2022 in London England Photo by Justin SetterfieldGetty Images
Fans did not see live coverage of first two days of RideLondon Classique, only a two-hour broadcast for stage 3 in London (Image credit: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

The RideLondon Classique returned to the cycling calendar on the last weekend of May after having been cancelled for two years in a row due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the event should have been in a spotlight for three days of racing this time around, the lack of a live broadcast for the full event was overshadowed by the Lotto Thüringen Ladies Tour, a 2.Pro race, which provided a live broadcast for all six days.

A legacy of the 2012 Olympics, it had been run as a criterium-like one-day race in the centre of London since 2013, entering the Women’s WorldTour in 2016. For 2022, the race was expanded with two additional stages in Essex before the final stage in London. But it turns out it was not all good news for Essex. The lack of any live broadcast for their two days was a disappointment disappointment for teams, riders, media, and cycling fans alike. 

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Lukas Knöfler started working in cycling communications in 2013 and has seen the inside of the scene from many angles. Having worked as press officer for teams and races and written for several online and print publications, he has been Cyclingnews’ Women’s WorldTour correspondent since 2018.