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Games-Sri Lankan cycling team stopped by police on motorway

GLASGOW, July 23 (Reuters) - Sri Lanka's cycling team took to the open road for training at the Commonwealth Games but prompted a police response as they rode along one of Scotland's busiest motorways on Wednesday. Four cyclists, wearing Sri Lankan team training jerseys, travelled along the M74, braving 70 mile per hour traffic and the wrath of Scottish police since bicycles are banned on motorways. They were spotted by English triathlete and Olympic champion Alistair Brownlee, who tweeted a picture of them. Police stopped the quartet near the exit for Motherwell and Hamilton after calls from concerned motorists and informed them that they were breaking the law. "Police attended the scene. Advice and assistance was given and the cyclists were advised to get off the road," a spokeswoman for Police Scotland said. She confirmed the cyclists were part of the Sri Lankan Games squad and left the area after loading their bikes on to a team vehicle. The incident echoed the exploits of the Kenyan team at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. They rode along the M61 from Manchester to Bolton twice before being stopped by police. (Reporting by Sam Holden, editing by Ed Osmond)