A Pace the Train charity challenge planned for this weekend has been postponed.

The annual event – in which cyclists try to beat a steam train from Keighley to Oxenhope – was due to take place tomorrow.

But organisers say entries were down and the necessary road closures would not have been viable for the numbers taking part.

Andrew Wood, fundraiser for Manorlands, which benefits from the proceeds of the event, said: “There are so many other cycling-related things taking place at the moment ahead of the Tour de France, I don’t think we got the message across to enough people about this.

“However the event is not cancelled. We intend holding it later in the year.”

The Pace the Train challenge, first held in 2003, sees riders cover a 4.8-mile route while a loco travels the Worth Valley line.

Over the years it has raised thousands of pounds for the Oxenhope Sue Ryder hospice.