This afternoon’s final stage of the Tour of Britain was diverted and temporarily neutralised after a motorcyclist crashed and fell into a river, reportedly sustaining serious injuries, in an unrelated, non-racing incident along the route.

A six-rider breakaway, two minutes ahead of the peloton and including Great Britain’s Oliver Wood, was about to crest the summit of Bwlch mountain with just 84 kilometres to go in today’s decisive eighth stage from Margam Park to Caerphilly when they were pulled over to the side of the road by the race organisers, who announced that the stage had been paused “due to a non-racing incident along the route”.

Wales Online has since reported (link is external) that a serious road traffic incident in Treorchy, located at the foot of the descent of Bwlch mountain, prompted the sudden neutralisation.

According to a spokesperson for South Wales Police, a motorcyclist collided with a bollard near the town’s Pencelli Hotel, falling into a river and sustaining “serious” injuries. He has been taken to hospital.

Photographs taken in the town show emergency service vehicles stretched across the road, while the Welsh Ambulance Service said it was employing “multiple resources” at the scene.

A few kilometres back at the top of the climb, the temporary neutralisation and diversion, which lasted for just under 40 minutes, provoked scenes reminiscent of the hour-long halt to last month’s men’s world road race championships in Scotland – which, on that occasion, was precipitated by an environmental protest on the route – as riders chatted to each other and the race organisers, while taking advantage of the pause to put on jackets and arm warmers to protect themselves from the rainy Welsh weather.

The riders were then led by the race organisers down the descent and through Treorchy, before racing finally resumed with 74km to go at the bottom of the Rhigos climb, with the breakaway’s advantage reinstated.

“We thank everybody involved for their patience and understanding,” the organisers said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

https://road.cc/content/news/tour-britain-stage-diverted-after-non-racing-crash-303767