A major setback for former Paralympic champion Stephen Bate, who was unable to take part in Friday's road race due to the illness of his pilot, Chris Latham. Bate won two gold medals at Rio 2016.

Both were in the men's B road race after Latham fell ill. Bate competes in the visually impaired category and, as he rides in a tandem with a sighted pilot, it is not permitted to replace either member of the team. Bate and Latham have been a team throughoutthe Paris 2024 Paralympics, winning a silver medal in the individual pursuit at the start of the Games.

The pair set a new world record in the qualifying round to reach the gold medal final. However, the previous world record holders, Tristan Bangma and Patrick Bos of the Netherlands, repeated the world record in their qualifying race and beat Bate and Latham in the final. The British duo were left with the silver medal.

However, Latham's illness prevented Bate from competing and he was forced to withdraw on Friday morning, just hours before the race. "Unfortunately, Chris Latham has developed signs and symptoms of illness over the last 24 hours and has withdrawn from the road race on medical grounds," said a statement fromBritish Cycling.

"This means that he and tandem partner Steve Bate will not be competing in the men's B race this afternoon. We wish Chris a speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him back on the bike soon".

In the B category, riders and pilots form a team. This means that no replacement pilot can be found for Bate. The pair were among the contenders for top honours after winning silver in the velodrome and competing in the men's B road time trial on Wednesday. They finished fifth. Bate was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2017 New Year Honours for services to cycling, following his successes at Rio 2016.

Like many of the Paralympians at Paris 2024, Bate has a story of overcoming adversity. He joined Team GB alongside Karen Darke and together they climbed the vertical face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. Bate has climbed the face three times, including a solo Zodiac ascent. He is the first visually impaired person to achieve this feat. El Capitan is one of the tallest vertical rock faces in the world.

In 2013, he was accepted into British Cycling's Paralympic Development Programme and teamed up with sighted pilot Adam Duggleby. In December 2014, Bate moved from the Development Programme to the Paralympic Podium Programme for British Cycling-supported athletes after becoming British road and time trial champion. Two years later he was crowned Paralympic champion at Rio 2016.