Brooklands Radio at Ride London-Surrey 2017

It was a sweet spot on Monument Green in Weybridge on Sunday – and not just for those watching the thousands of cyclists racing by in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100. As well as dozens of local craft and food stallholders, from ice cream and crepe makers to bakers and gin makers, all out to cater to the crowds, Brooklands Radio was there on the Green broadcasting the event live for the fifth straight year.

Sweeter still it was for Horsley resident Jill Bennett, one of Brooklands Radio presenters, who's ridden in the race twice before and returns after a year break, though she admits the ride is also "bloody hard."

Bennett stopped for a live radio chat with Brooklands as she took a break from the 100 mile course. Brooklands Radio reported throughout the day as the event unfolded, with interviews and advice on road closures and re-openings in the county.

Bennett's husband Mick, twice Olympic bronze medal cyclist and gold winner at the Commonwealth Games also rode past later in the day – but in the lead car ahead of the of 150 professional cyclists racing in the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey Classic. Ever the enthusiast, Mick Bennett is now involved professionally in cycling as the director of the SweetSpot Group, one of the partners in the London & Surrey Cycling Partnership (LSCP) which runs the Prudential events and operates the Tour of Britain.

With cycling ingrained in the family, Jill Bennett said she's trained hard for months, and despite the struggle with the massive hills along the route, "it's lovely as it's not often you get to ride on closed roads and not battle with traffic."

The hardest part of the race, she confirmed, comes at a 20 miles stretch from Newlands to the top of Box Hill, but "once you're down Headly Down you're home and dry." Entering London, along the Embankment and Chelsea, is "a wonderful feeling," she said, "and you speed up because you're nearly at the finish."

Bennett, like other amateur riders in the Prudential 100 event, raised money for a favourite charity. Along with her friend and fellow rider Caroline Watson, who also lost a brother to cancer, Bennett raised funds for Dorothy House Hospice Care and Chess, an agency providing relief and education in South Sudan, one of Watson's brother's favourite charities.

Bennett remains keenly interested in health, and her radio show on Thursdays from 1 to 4 pm, is also heath related, with a mix of music and guest interviewees from the health professions and local businesses. Last year instead of riding, Bennett co-hosted the public address for Brooklands Radio in Weybridge on the day of the race, and this year she stopped to talk to Barry Richards and James Pearce, who provided music and information for the spectators and encouragement for riders.

A three day world class festival of cycling, the Prudential ride was developed by the Mayor of London and his agencies in 2013, a legacy event from the 2012 London Olympics which held a London-Surrey cycling event. The fifth edition took place over the weekend of 28-30 July 2017.