RideLondon death: Cyclist dies of suspected heart attack while climbing steep hill of race in Surrey

The unnamed 55-year-old died on Leith Hill at around 11am on Sunday

Over 25,000 participants took part in the RideLondon cycling event yesterday (Harry Engels/Getty Inages)

The man who died while taking part in the RideLondon cycling event suffered a suspected heart attack while climbing one of the race's steepest climbs.

Organisers of the 100-mile ride through London and Surrey confirmed that an unnamed 55-year-old man died while climbing the highest hill in the race on Sunday.

He collapsed on the lower part of the ascent of Leith Hill near Dorking in Surrey and was pronounced dead at around 11am.

Participants were held at Leith Hill for around 45 minutes before a diversion was put in plac.e

A screen grab showing an air ambulance landing on Leith Hill to treat the cyclist (Image taken from NPAS Redhill Youtube channel)

A spokeswoman for the event said: “A 55-year-old man collapsed on the lower part of the ascent of Leith Hill and, although he received immediate medical attention and an air ambulance attended, the death was confirmed at the scene.

“Our immediate concern is for the family of the deceased and no further details will be released at this time. We would like to express our sincere condolences to his family and friends.”

It is the second death in the sportive’s three year history. Last year, 36-year-old Kris Cook died of a heart attack on the Newlands Corner climb during the race.

Over 25,000 amateur and club participants took part in the event which was set up as part of the Olympic legacy project.

The event, which started in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in Stratford and ended on the Mall near Buckingham Palace, was followed by an elite race participated in by Sir Bradley Wiggins and Mark Cavendish.