London 2012 has announced a new route for the Olympic road cycling races.

The world’s leading cyclists will race through six London boroughs, passing attractions including:

• The Mall (the race’s start and finish point)
• Westminster
• Richmond Park
• Bushy Park
• The river Thames
• Hampton Court Palace

The road cycling race is one of the first major events of London 2012.

Seb Coe, Chair of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said, “Following our success in Beijing, the road cycling events really will bring the magic of the Games to life for many thousands of spectators.”

The races are provisionally scheduled to take place on Saturday 28 and Sunday 29 July. The men’s race on Saturday will be 250km (156 miles) long and the women’s race on Sunday will be 140km (87 miles).

See a map of the new route here: http://www.london2012.com/documents/venue-documents/cycling-road-race-route.pdf

Read our previous blog entry on the Olympic Cycle Route

The Olympic road cycling route will start and end in Central London, crossing the river Thames and travelling through South West London and the Surrey Hills in between.

London landmarks along the new 138-kilometre route include:

• Westminster - the route begins in this historic area of London
• Crossing the Thames at Putney
• Bushy Park
• Richmond Park
• A 12.5km circuit of Westminster, Chelsea and Fulham
• The Mall in front of Buckingham Palace – where the race finishes

Read more about this on www.insidethegames.biz