The event was cancelled in the last two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but organisers have confirmed plans for its return on May 29 next year.

RideLondon was established in 2013 as a legacy event from the 2012 Olympic Games in London, and until 2019 featured the 193 kilometres one-day London-Surrey Classic road race.

But Essex County Council has now taken over from Surrey as partner for RideLondon.

The county of Essex will host the first two stages of the UCI Women's WorldTour road race, which is scheduled to start on May 27.

This race is set to conclude on May 29, the same day on which the RideLondon festival is to be held.

Essex will also jointly host a 100 miles challenge ride starting in London, departing east towards the county and then returning to the centre of the United Kingdom's capital city.

Entries for the RideLondon-Essex are due to open on Wednesday November 10.

Shorter rides on traffic-free roads are also planned aimed at encouraging families to take part.

Routes for the races will be confirmed at a later date by London Marathon Events, organisers of RideLondon.

Hugh Brasher, the event director at RideLondon, commented that he is looking forward to the event being held in Essex.

"RideLondon has inspired hundreds of thousands of people to cycle more and to date it has raised an incredible £80 million [$108 million/€94 million] for charities," Brasher said.

"We are proud of all it has achieved and excited about our plans for 2022 onwards, which offer unique opportunities for our commercial partners.

"We look forward to working with our partners at Essex County Council and numerous London boroughs to create a truly extraordinary celebration of cycling."

Previous editions of RideLondon have attracted more than 460,000 participants of all abilities.

In March, Transport for London announce a new partnership with London Marathon Events, running from 2022 to 2031, aimed at driving wider participation of people from all backgrounds.

Organisations in Essex will also ne able to apply for grants from The London Marathon Charitable Trust for projects inspiring activity.

Tokunbo Ajasa-Oluwa, the founder of the Black Unity Bike Ride, is hopeful that next year's RideLondon will attract more competitors from a range of backgrounds.

"It’s fantastic news that RideLondon is returning in 2022," he said.

"Cycling is a wonderful way of breaking down barriers and RideLondon is a perfect demonstration of this.

"It brings people of all backgrounds and abilities together to be part of a truly unique, fun and inspirational event.

"The Black Unity Bike Ride Alliance welcomes the opportunity to support the event and diversify the sport of cycling further."