RideLondon-Classique 2018 preview: Coryn Rivera starts as favourite

The route is 64.8km on a 5.4km circuit around central London, starting and ending on The Mall

The Prudential RideLondon Classique is back for its third edition, with organisers once again offering €25,000 Euros for the winner.

The route is 64.8km on a 5.4km circuit which starts by Buckingham Palace, turns up Constitution Hill and back across to Birdcage Walk before heading down Whitehall towards the Houses of Parliament, across Trafalagar Square and back on to The Mall where it began.

The Dutch pair Anna van der Breggen (Boels-Dolmans) and Annemiek Van Vleuten (Mitchelton-Scott) lead the World Tour standings this season. Van der Breggen has the most points having won the Tour of Flanders, Flèche Wallonne and Liege-Bastogne-Liege, while Van Vleuten won three stages and the overall title at the Giro Rosa.

Coryn Rivera starts as favourite (Getty Images)

But this course favours the sprinters, like Coryn Rivera who won last year, or fellow previous winner Kirsten Wild, along with her teammate Rachel Barbieri.

Londoner Alice Barnes will rider for Canyon-SRAM and she will hoping to be amongst the frontrunners for what is likely to be bunch sprint finish.

“The course is fast-paced. It’s difficult to move up in the closing kilometres. The small change to the circuit this year will make it even more crucial to be positioned where you want to be,” said Barnes.

“I like the way that the organisers have made the race different to the men’s RideLondon race to give the women’s race its own identity. The race is broadcast live, but being a circuit in the heart of London makes it a lot more accessible for spectators to watch the race and to see our exciting style of racing.”