During the London 2012 Olympic Games, the Olympic Road Cycling Time Trial will take place on the roads around the stunning Hampton Court Palace on Wednesday 1 August. The start/finish area and the medal ceremonies will take place within the Palace. Parts of the Time Trial route are outside the venue and are free to view.
This page is designed to keep you informed about the London 2012 Games in your area and provide you with the information you need to plan ahead for the Games.
Installation of temporary venue infrastructure
In order to turn the grounds of Hampton Court Palace into an international sports arena, we will need to put in place some temporary structures and infrastructure including media tribunes, office cabins, scoreboards, platforms and technology services. Our venue compound will be located on Hampton Court Green.
Some preliminary works will take place on Hampton Court Green from 5 June before the full installation begins from 11 July.
During this time you may notice some construction noise and an increase in the number of vehicles driving to the site. We will work to keep any disruption to a minimum, however, should you experience any problems as a result of these works, please contact us on 08000 722 110 or email us at inyourarea@london2012.com.
Rehearsal
Roads will also be very busy on Tuesday 31 July as the route for the event is tested by officials. This will be managed as a rolling road closure and, although there will be some disruption, this will only affect areas very close to the race route and only for a short period of time (less than 30 minutes).
Find out more information about local travel on the Get Ahead of the Games website
Venue operations during the Games
Security
In order to run a safe and secure event, we will need to implement the following security measures during the Games:
- fencing, barriers and lighting
- security patrols around the venue
- security check tents
Road closures
In order to safely deliver this world-class sporting event, we must secure and prepare the route and make sure it is clear of any vehicles. This protects both competitors and spectators and will involve extensive road closures and parking restrictions in affected areas from the early hours of the morning until late in the evening on event days.
To enable us to complete the venue build, Hampton Court Road (between Adam’s Gate and Hampton Court roundabout) will be closed from 10pm on Tuesday 31 July. The route and surrounding roads will be closed from 5.30am on Wednesday 1 August. Emergency and local access will be maintained as far as possible.
After the event has finished, roads will remain closed for some time to ensure they are safe and secure for public use. Barriers will need to be removed, road signs reinstated, roads thoroughly cleaned, crowds dispersed, security checks completed and stewards stood down before roads can be reopened safely.
Roads will be reopened in stages. We expect roads to be open again by late evening. The exception is Hampton Court Road (between Adam’s Gate and Hampton Court roundabout) which will reopen at 6am on Thursday 2 August to enable us to start removing the venue. We will work hard to reopen roads as soon as possible but factors such as size of crowds, security needs and potential delays to the events will all play a part in deciding reopening times.
More detailed information about closures will be provided nearer the time.
Public transport
London 2012 is aiming for 100% of ticketed spectators to travel to competition venues by public transport, walk or cycle so rail and London Underground services may be busy on event days. You can minimise disruption to your journey by planning your travel in advance.
Many bus services will operate more frequently and there will be numerous diversions or service suspensions.
Detailed information will be available closer to the Games.
For more information about travel in the local area visit the Get Ahead of the Games website
After the Games
Hampton Court Palace will continue to be a major tourist attraction and home to a number of exhibitions.
We will begin to remove all our temporary structures immediately after the event. We anticipate that it will take us 14 days to remove the infrastructure and reinstate the venue to its previous condition.
What will happen and when?
5 June: Preliminary works on Hampton Court Green
Early July: Installation of infrastructure on Hampton Court Green
27 July: Olympic Games Opening Ceremony
28 July: Men’s Olympic Cycling Road Race
29 July: Women’s Olympic Cycling Road Race
31 July: Time Trial route and venue rehearsal
1 August: Men’s and women’s Olympic Cycling Time Trial (at Hampton Court Palace)
12 August: Olympic Games Closing Ceremony
For more information
To find out more about the Games and how it will impact your local area, please visit the related links on this page.
If you have any questions that you would like us to answer, please contact us at inyourarea@london2012.com
Get involved
From the Olympic Torch Relay and Local Leaders programme to the London 2012 Festival there are millions of ways to join in with London 2012. Events are taking place across the UK from now right until the end of the Games.
Find out how you can join in by simply visiting our Join In pages and see what’s happening in your local community.
