Creative Direction | Sponsorship Activation

Ford RideLondon, the world’s greatest festival of cycling, is made up of four events designed for cyclists of all abilities and backgrounds. May 2023 saw riders fill the roads of London and Essex over three days with more than 22,500 people taking on the Ford RideLondon-Essex 100, 60 or 30-mile challenges, while around 50,000 more enjoyed the free, family-friendly FreeCycle event, jumping on their bikes to experience the joy of eight miles of traffic-free Central London.

Completing the Festival, London Marathon Events hosted the three stages of the Ford RideLondon Classique, the only UCI Women’s WorldTour race to take place in the UK in 2023.

Cord’s task was to produce and provide creative direction for the inaugural Ford RideLondon HUB in Trafalgar Square. The brief was to create a stunning focal point for the entire cycling weekend, using the iconic location to inspire more people to enjoy cycling and promote active travel in London.

​Working in partnership with the RideLondon team, Ford UK, the Greater London Authority (GLA) and Westminster City Council (WCC), my response was to create the UK’s biggest pop-up cycle HUB – celebrating the joy and sense of community when Humans, Urban spaces and Bikes come together.

Over three days the Ford RideLondon HUB at Trafalgar Square provided a range of free entertainment and exciting bike-based activities for people to stop by and try out. It also included Trials Bike and BMX shows, food and drink stalls and a giant screen showing live every stage of the Ford RideLondon Classique. And the energy was kept up throughout the day with live music and DJ sets from the main stage.

Its position in Trafalgar Square put the HUB at the heart of the mass participation events that are part of Ford RideLondon on including Ford RideLondon FreeCycle, the biggest, free closed road bike ride in the UK.

This meant the HUB succeeded in giving thousands of families a glimpse of what London will become as a great cycling city.

It was joyful, welcoming and inclusive.

Above all, it was fun.

(Photo credits: Felix Diemer for Ford RideLondon)