Tour of Britain cancelled after Queen’s death

Cycling’s Tour of Britain has been cancelled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Thursday.

The Queen passed away aged 96 and Tour of Britain organisers responded by calling a halt to the remaining three days of the event.

Spain’s Gonzalo Serrano of Movistar Team was declared the winner of this year’s race as he sat top of the overall standings after Thursday’s fifth stage.

Belgian rider Jordi Meeus had won stage five from West Bridgford to Mansfield in England’s Midlands in a time of 4hr 21min 46sec.

“Further to the earlier statement in relation to the cancellation of stage six as a mark of respect following the passing of Her Majesty The Queen, the organisers of the AJ Bell Tour of Britain can additionally confirm that stages seven (Dorset) and eight (Isle of Wight) will not take place,” a statement from Tour of Britain organisers said.

“This decision has been taken in consultation with stakeholders and partners in light of operational circumstances, including the understandable reassignment of police resource at this time.

“Therefore, the final standings will be taken following the conclusion of stage five on Thursday 8 September. The winner of the AJ Bell Tour of Britain 2022 will be Gonzalo Serrano (Movistar Team).

“Additionally, the respective classification leaders – Tom Pidcock (Dodl by AJ Bell points), Mathijs Paasschens (SKODA King of the Mountains) and Matthew Teggart (Sportsbreaks.com sprints) – will also be declared the winners of those competitions.

“The Tour of Britain organisation, alongside the teams, riders and officials involved in the event, send their deepest condolences to the Royal Family at this sad time.”