Dutch triumph in Women's Tour of Britain in Essex

Lorena Wiebes crossed the finish line in the fourth stage of the tour

The fourth stage of the Women's Tour of Britain has seen 78 cyclists race through Essex.

The 73-mile (117.8km) leg took them from Shoeburyness to Southend-on-Sea.

Dutch rider Lorena Wiebes, 22, claimed her first stage victory with a sprint finish.

Rolling road closures were in place along the route and more are expected as stage five begins on Friday in Colchester, finishing in Clacton-on-Sea.

Andy Hawes, the route director, said of the many roadblocks: "100% rider safety - that has to be our priority.

"The women that are riding, this is their job and everybody has to have a safe workplace - it just so happens that racing is their workplace."

Lorena Wiebes won the fourth stage in Essex

The Dutch rider described her sprint-finish victory as "a great feeling"

The race started at 11:00 BST and the route was lined by spectators who described it as "exciting" and said it was "lovely to have it on our doorstep".

A little under three hours later, Lorena Wiebes said her victory was "a great feeling".

"I really aimed for a win in this tour, so I'm really happy with it."