The road cycle race at the 1948 Olympic Games in London was moved to Windsor from its originally planned venue at Richmond Park when it was discovered that any activity at more than 20 miles per hour was prohibited. The race was held on Friday August 13 and was started in a torrential downpour on Smith's Lawn in Windsor Great Park by HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. The race distance was 120 miles, comprised of 17 laps which took the leaders approximately 18 minutes each to complete. The individual race was won by France's José Beyaert, while Belgium took the gold medal in the team event. Beyaert remains the last French cyclist to win the Olympic road race.