POLICE are appealing for witnesses after a male cyclist died in Otley on Friday.

The cyclist had been travelling along East Chevin Road away from Otley, when he found injured in the road.

The 66-year-old man from the Leeds area later died.

It is not known how he came of his injuries, which were described as serious.

The air ambulance was believed to have been called to transport him to hospital.

West Yorkshire Police were alerted at 2.42pm.

East Chevin Road was closed while emergency services attended between Birdcage Walk, Otley, and Bramhope Old Lane and bus services had to be diverted.

The road is popular with cyclists as it has featured on the route of the Tour de Yorkshire for which it has been dubbed the Cote de Chevin climb.

Officers are appealing for anyone who saw how the cyclist came to be injured in the road and anyone with dashcam footage of the incident or who witnessed it or were nearby at the time are asked to police on 101 quoting log 1078 of Friday, February 8.