The event was founded in 1997 on the suggestion of Tony Carter, a volunteer at Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research's Woking Branch, who had been inspired by the success of the London Marathon and wanted to replicate the concept with cycling to help raise money for the charity.
Set over a largely flat course, the original London Bikeathon had two routes, of 13 and 26 miles, both starting and finishing in Battersea Park.