The Olympic Cycling Road Races will pass through West Putney

This means that residents will be able to watch an Olympic event for free, and the Council expects it is likely to bring thousands of visitors to the town.

The events will be held on the first weekend of the games. The men’s race will be on July 28 and the women’s on July 29, 2012. There will be two gold medals up for grabs and 145 men and 67 women will take part.

The riders will start at The Mall then follow a route through Chelsea and Fulham to Putney Bridge. Crossing the bridge, they will ride down Putney High Street, the Upper Richmond Road and Priory Lane into Richmond Park via Roehampton Gate. Full route map - click here.

From there they will go through Surrey to Dorking and then several times around Box Hill. They will return through Surrey and follow the same route back through Richmond Park and Putney up to The Mall.

The men’s race is about 156 miles long, and the women’s race 87 miles. The competitors all start together and the first past the line is the winner. Organisers are planning a test event in August this year, and will release details of this shortly.

Six different London borough, plus five Surrey districts have had to be consulted. There will be some road closures, including Putney High Street, and the council will continue to work with organisers to minimise disruption.

2012 chairman Lord Coe said:
‘This extends the Games into the South West of London and Surrey. We are delighted to be bringing such high profile and exciting events here which will bring the Road Race into challenging cycling terrain through many new boroughs and districts.”

The council’s environment and culture spokesman Cllr Sarah McDermott said:
“This is very exciting news. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity for local people to watch an Olympic event completely free of charge. We’ll continue to work closely with games organisers to ensure the race runs smoothly and does not result in any unnecessary inconvenience or expense, and we’ll work with local shops and restaurants to help them make the most of the opportunity offered by the race.

“We’d also like to encourage local people to become Olympic Games volunteers. You can find out more at www.london-2012.co.uk/London-2012-Volunteer ”