Adrian Palomares beat Tom Stubbe to the line

The fourth stage from Rotherham to Bradford was neutralised for 20 miles after a dispute between the organisers and North Yorkshire Police.

Spaniard Adrian Palomares won the stage in a breakaway group of three to snatch the yellow jersey.

Britain's Ben Swift, 19, held onto the King of the Mountains jersey.

Interview: Tour of Britain CEO Hugh Roberts

Spain's Adrian Palomares is the new leader of the Tour of Britain after pipping Tom Stubbe to the line during the fourth stage between Rotherham and Bradford.

Palomares, 31, demonstrated his climbing skills during the 101-mile stage to take the stage on the line from Stubbe and the yellow jersey from Russia's Nikolai Trusov.

A 26-man break had developed, with Australia's Luke Roberts briefly taking the outright lead, but Palomares hit the front after the race was neutralised.

Palomares made a decisive break over the Cow and Calf climb on the run for home and still had enough to hold off Stubbe and fellow Spaniard David Blanco Rodriguez to the line.

Fuerteventura-Canarias rider Palomares now holds just a one-second advantage over Blanco Rodriguez with two stages of the race left.

"I've been in decent form recently and I couldn't be happier with this win," said Palomares.

"I came here with the aim of winning a stage and now that's been achieved I can set another target.

"I would love to go home with the yellow jersey but there are still two tough stages to go and it will be a hard fight."

Tour officials insisted they were left with no alternative but to neutralise the race.

"The decision was taken as it was felt that the best interests of the riders and spectators would be served by taking such a course of action," said a Tour spokesman.

"It was brought to our attention that a specific road closure order affecting an element of this particular stretch of the race had not been processed to the satisfaction of all parties concerned.

"The riders were taken through this section as a group and the process was carried out with the minimum disruption and did not affect the enjoyment of the race from the spectator's perspective."

A stage of last year's race, through Kent, was marred by rider protests after they were misdirected by officials before the start.