A cycling version of the London Marathon could take place in the capital if mayor Boris Johnson's plan goes ahead.

Mr Johnson wants to host up to 30,000 amateur riders in what would be the largest timed bike race in London, the Evening Standard reported.

Scheduled for 2013, the race would be televised live by the BBC and would also feature a parallel professional event for top riders, like Olympic champion Nicole Cooke.

Documents seen by the newspaper show that four possible routes are proposed, measuring between 60 and 120km.

The routes include a central London ring taking in more than 20 boroughs and the Olympic Park and a start/finish in the Olympic Park, including some central London icons, then heading east into Essex.

It would be modelled on South Africa's yearly 'Argus' event that features over 30,000 cyclists.

Recently, it was announced that the mountain bike course for the London 2012 Olympics has been completed on time and on budget. The Games' mountain biking events will take place at Hadleigh Farm on the 11th and 12th August.