in August 2013 and will be the first large-scale event to use the Olympic Park when it reopens.
The shortlisted organisers are Tour de France owners Amaury Sport Organisation; IMG; Limelight Sports and Participate Sport, which are working as a joint venture; London & Surrey Cycling Partnership; Great North Run owners Nova International; and Upsolut.
The companies have until mid-April to submit formal proposals. The Mayor of London’s team will select the best proposal before the start of the Games.
The festival will incorporate a family fun ride for up to 70,000 cyclists on an eight-mile loop around London landmarks. The following day up to 35,000 amateur, club and world-class elite cyclists will tackle a 100 mile course beginning in the Olympic Park, and will be based on the 2012 Games cycle route.
Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: "The high quality of the shortlisted organisations is a clear demonstration of their confidence in London’s ability to host a world class cycle festival. With the Games just around the corner, the investment to date is already paying off, and my team is hard at work developing the events that will help us showcase our great city to the world for many years to come."
Iain Edmondson, head of major events at London & Partners and the project director for the festival of cycling added: "We have set an ambitious vision for one of the world's biggest cycling events as a major Olympic legacy, and we are honoured to have the world's best event organisers willing to invest in turning this vision into a reality."
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