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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Cyclist dies in RideLondon Leith Hill ascent | Cyclist dies in RideLondon Leith Hill ascent |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| A man has died while taking part in the RideLondon cycle festival. | |
| Organisers said a 55-year-old collapsed on the lower part of the ascent of Leith Hill - Surrey's highest point - on Sunday, during the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100. | Organisers said a 55-year-old collapsed on the lower part of the ascent of Leith Hill - Surrey's highest point - on Sunday, during the Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100. |
| The "mass participation" event follows the route from London to Surrey made famous in the London 2012 Olympics. | The "mass participation" event follows the route from London to Surrey made famous in the London 2012 Olympics. |
| The man received immediate medical attention but died at the scene. The cause of his death is not yet known. | |
| None of the emergency services was able to confirm a report that he died from a suspected heart attack. | |
| 'Hardest part' | 'Hardest part' |
| BBC journalist Douglas Marshall, 42, was taking part in the ride and was just behind where it happened. | BBC journalist Douglas Marshall, 42, was taking part in the ride and was just behind where it happened. |
| He said Leith Hill was the hardest part of the route. | He said Leith Hill was the hardest part of the route. |
| "We were stopped on the hill and everyone had to move over for an ambulance car to get past," he said. | "We were stopped on the hill and everyone had to move over for an ambulance car to get past," he said. |
| "Some cyclists had been helping him and people were pretty frantic. As we went past, I saw the man on the floor having CPR. | "Some cyclists had been helping him and people were pretty frantic. As we went past, I saw the man on the floor having CPR. |
| "Someone said they'd been doing it for 15 minutes at that point. This was before the air ambulance had arrived. | "Someone said they'd been doing it for 15 minutes at that point. This was before the air ambulance had arrived. |
| "People were talking about it on the ride and somebody said they diverted the route around Leith Hill afterwards. It's very sad to hear they couldn't save him." | "People were talking about it on the ride and somebody said they diverted the route around Leith Hill afterwards. It's very sad to hear they couldn't save him." |
| A spokeswoman for Surrey Air Ambulance said emergency teams received the alert at about 11:00 BST and a doctor and paramedic tried to help the man. Surrey Police said they also attended the incident near Dorking. | A spokeswoman for Surrey Air Ambulance said emergency teams received the alert at about 11:00 BST and a doctor and paramedic tried to help the man. Surrey Police said they also attended the incident near Dorking. |
| South East Coast ambulance service also sent paramedics, but a spokesman said despite their best efforts - and the efforts of people at the scene before crews arrived - the man "sadly died". | |
| Organisers said the RideLondon welfare team were helping the rider's family and no more information would be released without the family's consent. | Organisers said the RideLondon welfare team were helping the rider's family and no more information would be released without the family's consent. |
| They have not yet commented to the BBC on the difficulty of the steep Box Hill and Leith Hill climbs. | They have not yet commented to the BBC on the difficulty of the steep Box Hill and Leith Hill climbs. |
| More than 25,000 cyclists - including club cyclists, celebrities and amateur riders - took part in the amateur sportive. | More than 25,000 cyclists - including club cyclists, celebrities and amateur riders - took part in the amateur sportive. |
| The event saw riders go from the Olympic Park in east London, through Leatherhead, Oxshott and Esher before finishing on the Mall. | The event saw riders go from the Olympic Park in east London, through Leatherhead, Oxshott and Esher before finishing on the Mall. |
| Mayor of London Boris Johnson hailed it as "the greatest mass-participation cycling event in the world". | Mayor of London Boris Johnson hailed it as "the greatest mass-participation cycling event in the world". |