Women's elite TT at Yorkshire World Championships pushed back due to weather conditions

The elite women's time trial of the Yorkshire World Championships 2019 has been pushed back 40 minutes due to the poor weather conditions that blighted the men's U23 time trial this morning.

A number of riders suffered heavy falls and the Belgians slammed the course, describing the conditions they had to ride in as 'dangerous'.

>>> Watch: Chaos reigns supreme at Yorkshire Worlds U23 time trial

The race will now start at 15.30 instead of 14.50, with gaps between riders setting off reduced from a minute and a half to a minute, to compensate for the delay.

In a statement, race organisers said: "Due to the heavy rains experienced this morning and considering the inclement weather forecast for the rest of the day, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and the organising committee of the 2019 UCI Road World Championships have reviewed the conditions for this afternoon’s Women Elite Individual Time Trial race.

"Following the discussions, it’s been decided that the start will be delayed to 15:30 to allow water to be cleared. The organising committee and the county are deploying marshals to yellow flag areas with standing water and staff and vehicles are draining water on the roads to ensure riders’ safety.

"Gaps between riders will be reduced to 1 minute instead of 1’30 so that the finish time comes close to the original schedule. The UCI and Yorkshire 2019 will continue to monitor closely the events and take any appropriate decisions."