RideLondon: thousands take to traffic-free streets for FreeCycle event

Thousands took to the streets of London today for the capital's biggest annual cycling event.

RideLondon saw both professional and amateur cyclists get on two wheels for a whole host of competitive and fun events.

The cycling festival, which first took place in 2013, was created as a lasting legacy of London’s 2012 Olympic Games.

Today's main event in the weekend of bicycle-based fun was the Prudential RideLondon FreeCycle.

The FreeCycle saw Londoners young and old jump on their bikes to cycle around London’s traffic-free streets, past some of the capital's most iconic landmarks.

Cycling fanatics, bicycle novices, and riders everywhere in between came together to tour the streets on two wheels, on roads that were closed to traffic.

Familes, groups of friends, and individuals took advantage of the traffic-free streets, which gave cyclists the opportunity to take in such famous landmarks as St Paul's Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament as they rode through London.

Many chose to stop off along the way to rest their legs at the seven Festival Zones for live entertainment, which often had a cycling theme.