Mansfield declared race finish as Tour of Britain abandoned after death of Queen Elizabeth II

Gonzalo Serrano, of Team Movistar, has been declared winner of the 2022 Tour of Britain.

The death of Queen Elizabeth II was announced just after 6.30pm on Friday, September 9, just a couple of hours after riders had rolled in to Mansfield town centre to cheers at the end of stage five of the seven-stage race.

Race bosses initially announced the cancellation of today’s stage six in Gloucestershire, before abandoning the final stages.

An initial statement said: “The Tour of Britain organisation, alongside the teams, riders and officials involved in the event, are deeply saddened by the passing of Queen Elizabeth II.

“We would like to send our deepest condolences to the whole of the Royal Family.

“As a result, stage six in Gloucestershire on Friday 9 September, scheduled to take place between Tewkesbury and Gloucester, will not take place.”

However, several hours later, a statement was released saying: “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 Tour of Britain can additionally confirm 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, September 8.

“The winner of the AJ Bell Tour of Britain 2022 will be Gonzalo Serrano, of Movistar Team.

“Additionally, the respective classification leaders – Tom Pidcock (Dodl 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.”

Your Chad will share pictures from Thursday’s Nottinghamshire stage over the weekend.