After a great RideLondon festival of cycling this weekend, the council’s Eugene McDonald made it to the finish line in the Mall on Sunday, riding for local charities the Polka Theatre and Home Start Merton. Mayor of Merton Councillor Krystal Miller was in Wimbledon Village to greet him and spur him on to the finish.

Eugene McDonald at RideLondon with Mayor of Merton Councillor Krystal Miller and her Consort Councillor Henry Nelless

Mayor of Merton Councillor Krystal Miller said: “RideLondon was a great festival and it was wonderful seeing lots of people of all ages coming out and cheering the cyclists on. Many good causes would have benefited from the day and I am so pleased that Eugene was riding for my two charities.”

Merton Council cabinet member for community and culture Councillor Nick Draper said: “It was wonderful seeing the cyclists race through Merton on their way to the Mall this weekend and great to see the crowds out cheering them on. There was an infectious festive atmosphere and I’m already looking forward to next year.”

Eugene said: “The whole event was tremendously successful for both me personally and for the communities involved. There was a real Merton welcome as the cyclists came through Raynes Park to Wimbledon and then up Wimbledon Hill before pushing on to the Mall. The support from the spectators was huge. They were vocal, inspiring and gave us that extra bit of energy that we needed. The Mall itself was great and as you can see in my video, I was enjoying the high fiving the crowd.” 

You can still donate to the Mayor’s charities Eugene was riding for: Polka Theatre and Home Start Merton.

Check out the council’s Twitter feed on our newsroom to get a taste of what the day was like.