'Team Boris' to raise money for Mayor's charities in cycle challenge

The Mayor of London’s charities have announced that they are assembling a high profile team of industry leaders and cycle fanatics who will bid to raise thousands of pounds of sponsorship by taking part in a gruelling one hundred mile cycle challenge through the capital and Surrey this summer.

'Team Boris' will compete in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 challenge and be captained by the Mayor himself. The Mayor's Fund have made approaches to a number of high profile individuals who they have asked to take part in the challenge and help raise money for the Mayor's three charities - the Mayor's Fund for London, the Mayor's Fund for Young Musicians and The Legacy List.

The Mayor's charities are also calling for the support of cyclists who already have their places confirmed for the challenge, but who have not yet agreed to ride for a charity, and may wish to help raise sponsorship money for the Mayor's three charities and become part of Team Boris.

Members of Team Boris will be announced in the lead up to the event and the full team will be confirmed in July ahead of the challenge itself, which will take place on 4 August.

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "I am of course looking to build a team of incredible speed and pedal power; but their most important asset will be the fundraising muscle to help raise significant sums of money for our charities. The money will be used to help thousands of young people across the capital."

Each of the Mayor's charities seeks to develop talent throughout the capital through diverse projects - all with the aim of supporting and nurturing skills and creating a city that encourages youngsters and organisations to prosper.

Prudential RideLondon will be the largest mass participation cycling festival ever held in the UK, with over 70,000 cyclists, including some of the world's top professionals taking part across four separate events. Held over the weekend of 3 and 4 August, just one year on from Team GB's gold rush on the road and in the velodrome, the festival is expected to boost the number of active cyclists in the UK, attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to London and Surrey, and raise considerable amounts of money for charity.

For information on how to support and donate to the Team Boris campaign, please visit www.teamborislondon.com or follow the team on Twitter @teamborislondon

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