Cyclist Killed in Crash During Britain's 41st Severn Bridge Road Race

British cyclist Junior Heffernan was killed in a head-on collision with a car during a bike race in England.

Heffernan, 23, a native of Yelverton in Devon was competing in the 41st Severn Bridge Road Race. He was in the second lap of the 66-mile race and attempting to take the lead when the collision occured. He died as a result of his injuries, according to Cycling News. 

"This is an awful tragedy," said a spokesman for the British Racing Club, the organizer of the annual event. 

Details of the crash haven't been made official, but according to eyewitnesses, Hefferman was trying to pass the peloton - the pack of riders - when the accident happened. The race was cancelled following the crash. Known as "The Heff", Heffernan had blogged that it would be his first race with his new team Herbalife-Leisure Lakes  and posted his excitement a couple days ago "This will be my first race alongside members of my new team, Team Herbalife-Leasurelakesbikes.com, proper racing! I'll leave you with a sneak preview of my new kit, and follow up with some (hopefully) good news after the weekend" 

"This is a tragedy which will profoundly sadden everyone associated with cycling in this country," said British Cycling president Brian Cookson. "My thoughts are with Junior's family and his friends."