All remaining Tour of Britain stages cancelled following death of Queen Elizabeth II

The remaining three stages of the Tour of Britain have been cancelled following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, as a mark of respect.

A statement released on Thursday evening said that following stage six being cancelled, the final two days have also been called off.

The race was scheduled to go from Tewkesbury to Gloucester on Friday, then in Dorset on Saturday, and then on the Isle of Wight on Sunday, following Thursday's stage five from West Bridgford to Mansfield, won by Jordi Meeus. Due to the passing of the Queen, the race organisation has decided to cancel the remaining stages.

Gonzalo Serrano (Movistar) has been declared the race's winner, after he took the red jersey on Wednesday's stage five, while the other classification winners have been finalised as they were at the end of Thursday.

In the statement released on Thursday evening, a spokesperson said: "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.

"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 (Dod! by AJ Bell points), Mathijs Paasschens (ŠKODA 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."

Queen Elizabeth II's death was announced on Thursday evening, hours after the conclusion of stage five.

Prince Charles, 73, is now king, and the Duchess of Cornwall is now Queen Consort.

In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”

It is expected that other sporting events will be paused on Friday in order to pay respect to the Queen. The third Test between England and South Africa, the PGA Championship at Wentworth will not occur, just like the Tour of Britain, although it is not known whether sporting events will happen this weekend.

A period of mourning is expected to be held in the UK over the next ten days.