Six organisers bid to run London cycling festival

Six organisers have been short-listed to run a two-day festival of cycling in London – the first major public event that will use the Olympic Park when it reopens in 2013.

Amaury Sport Organisation, owners of the Tour de France, IMG, owners of the London Triathlon, Limelight Sports and Participate Sports, a joint venture, London and Surrey Cycling Partnership, comprising the organisers of the London Marathon and SweetSpot Group, Nova International, owners of the Great North Run, and Upsolut, organiser of the Triathlon ITU World Championship London.

The six organisations now have until mid-April to submit formal proposals. The Mayor’s team will select the best proposal prior to the start of London 2012.

Iain Edmondson, head of major events at London and Partners and the project director for the festival of cycling added: “We have set an ambitious vision for one of the world’s biggest cycling events as a major Olympic legacy, and we are honoured to have the world’s best event organisers willing to invest in turning this vision into a reality. The prize for the successful organisation is huge as they will be at the heart of creating a new global event for London to rival the best of the city’s existing annual sporting events.”