The London 2012 Olympic road race route has been announced – with the iconic Box Hill and The Mall set to star. 

The UCI rejected the original Olympic Games course, which took in laps of a circuit from Regent’s Park to Hampstead Heath, forcing organisers into a rethink. 

And the new course sees both the men’s race (265km/165miles) and women’s race (140km/87miles) start in front of Buckingham Palace on The Mall. 

Both routes then cross the River Thames at Putney before heading into Richmond and Bushey Parks, and into the lanes of Surrey. 

The peloton will then race several laps of Box Hill, a 2.5km climb which ascends 120m – perfect for a breakaway to make its mark. The men will ride nine laps, the women two.

The race will then head back to the capital, via Leatherhead, Esher and Richmond Park, before setting up a spectacular finish on The Mall. 

• RCUK rode the key points of the Olympic road race course yesterday – stay tuned for our analysis.