Bike race postponed

AN international women’s bicycle race has been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The UK stage race was scheduled to take place in June but organiser SweetSpot has asked the sport’s governing body UCI to reschedule it to October 4-9.

The Women’s Tour forms part of the top-tier UCI Women’s World Tour and has been held annually from 2014 before the 2020 edition was shelved due to covid-19.

Jonathan Day, British Cycling’s head of sport and major events, said: “We know just how important the Women’s Tour is for our teams and riders and it has been fantastic to see the race go from strength to strength over recent years.

“We are working closely with SweetSpot and the UCI to confirm the proposed date change and look forward to welcoming the world’s best riders to the opening stage in Oxfordshire later this year.”

The race was due to start in Oxfordshire and finish in Suffolk.