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RideLondon death: Cyclist Stephen Green dies in event | |
(about 7 hours later) | |
A man has died while taking part in the RideLondon cycle festival. | A man has died while taking part in the RideLondon cycle festival. |
Organisers said Stephen Green, 55, from Reading, 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. |
Mr Green received immediate medical attention but died at the scene. The cause of his death is not yet known. | |
Prudential RideLondon-Surrey 100 said he was a keen cyclist who rode in the event in 2013. | |
He had taken part in the FreeCycle event in central London on Saturday with his wife and children. | |
He was riding on Sunday with a friend to raise money for the children's charity Action A-T, which funds research for the rare genetic disease Ataxia-Telangiectasia. | |
In a statement, Mr Green's wife said he had died doing something he loved. | |
None of the emergency services were able to confirm a report that he died from a suspected heart attack. | |
Organisers said the cause would be established by a post-mortem examination yet to be carried out. | |
Another cyclist, 36-year-old Kris Cook, died after collapsing during the same even in 2014. | |
Mr Cook had a cardiac arrest at Newlands Corner, near Guildford. | |
'Hardest part' | 'Hardest part' |
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. | |
Organisers said the RideLondon welfare team were helping the rider's family. | |
They have not 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". |