The Birmingham and Midlands Velo saw 17,000 cyclists set-off from Birmingham city centre this morning (May 12).
Riders departed in waves from High Street Deritend to get the cycling event underway.
Despite the early start, small crowds of spectators had gathered along the starting straight to cheer the riders on. The cyclists were also encouraged by the warm weather as well as music playing over loud speakers as they waited to cross the start line.
Fast track cyclists set off at 6.30am. They were followed shortly by riders completing the 42-mile course.
The first waves of riders taking part in the 100-mile event started departing at around 7.00am and the last rider crossed the start line just after 8.00am.
Among those taking part in the event, there were even some tandem bikes spotted heading to the start line to tackle the course.
The longer route takes riders on an undulating course through Coventry, Solihull, Warwickshire, Dudley and Sandwell and involves around 1,500 metres of climbing.
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Organisers reminded riders over the tannoy system that the event is not a race and that they should instead be focused on finishing safely rather than quickly.
There are over 800 marshals stationed around the course. Many of them are manning the pit stops for riders where they can stop for a quick toilet break, to grab a bottle of water or to briefly stretch their legs.
The last rider is expected to cross the finish line at 5.30pm this afternoon.
