Stage neutralised at Tour of Britain Women due to road traffic accident on route

Stage two of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women was stopped for half an hour on Thursday due to a road traffic accident further up the race route.

The neutralisation came with 73.5km to go, as the riders approached the summit of the second climb of the day, Nick o' Pendle, where Uno-X Mobility's Katrine Aalerud led solo with a 50-second advantage.

The Norwegian rider was shown a red flag on the road by a member of the race organisation, and ground to a halt. The same message was then relayed to the chasing bunch, allowing the peloton to come back together so riders could receive jackets from their team cars.

After half an hour waiting in the rain, the stage continued under an escort from the lead race vehicle. It was announced that both the QOM on Nick o' Pendle and the intermediate sprint that followed would be neutralised, with no points given.

The race restarted in Whalley, on the line of the intermediate sprint, with 66km to go. Aalerud was allowed to leave ahead of the peloton to restore her 50-second lead.

In a statement published on social media, the Lloyds Tour of Britain said: "A road traffic accident which happened ahead of the convoy has led to the race [being] neutralised. As a result, the second Queen of the Mountain climb has been cancelled.

"Organisers would like to thank the teams, riders, police and local authorities for their assistance and cooperation during the disruption to the race."

Rolling road closures are in place at the Tour of Britain Women, meaning police motorcyclists secure the route for the convoy to pass through. No riders were affected by the road traffic accident, which occurred on an open stretch of the route ahead of the race.

The start of Thursday's stage two was also delayed half an hour due to a "blockage" on the race route. The riders took a diversion out of Clitheroe, before rejoining the original course around 20km in.

Stage two is now due to finish in Blackpool around 4pm.