EXCLUSIVE By Paul Britton:POLICE stopped two members of Kenya's Commonwealth Games cycling team as they neared the end of a training run . . . along Bolton's busy M61 motorway!

Cyclists George Ochieng and Arthur Kamu were stopped by motorway police travelling on the hard shoulder, just yards past the Kearsley Spur junction.

They had reached speeds of up to 40mph and told shocked officers they had travelled from the Athletes Village in Fallowfield, more than 17 miles away, and were heading to Rivington.

Both were dressed in full cycling kit -- complete with Lycra shorts and racing helmets.

Rivington's moorland hills are the venue for the Games mountain bike and cycling road race and time trial events.

Insp Chris Burrows, of Greater Manchester Police's Motorway Traffic Unit, stopped both cyclists at 11am yesterday.

He said: "I could not quite believe my eyes.

"Obviously it is a very unusual incident, but also a very serious one.

"They were dressed in full training kit and did not seem to have a care in the world. They reached speeds of 40mph, saying they had been making their way from the Games village to Rivington.

"Both cyclists were on the hard shoulder, but we had received numerous calls from motorists who had spotted them weaving in and out of lanes."

The police officer drove alongside the two cyclists and urged them to pull over.

Insp Burrows said: "Both spoke good English and were very surprised they could not cycle along the motorway.

"They said they had looked at a map and the motorway was the best big road to reach Bolton."

Insp Burrows escorted the cyclists off the motorway at Watergate Lane before advising them about the dangers of the motorway network. He also contacted the Commonwealth Games athletes village asking organisers to provide the cyclists with appropriate details of the road network system in the North-west and road safety advice.

Sgt Tony Hall from the police motorway unit, said: "We must remember it is a very serious incident and could have caused all sorts of chaos. They could have easily been killed.

"Trucks travel at around 60mph and motorists just do not expect to see cyclists using the motorway."

The cyclists were also advised that they should use the A6 on their return to the athletes village in Manchester.

Mr Ochieng, aged 23 and Mr Kamu, aged 27, are both expected to compete in the cycling road race event.

Manchester-based cycling store Harry Hall Cycles yesterday came to the rescue after Commonwealth Games chiefs ruled all the Kenyan national team's bikes were not up to scratch. All competitors were given free bikes and equipment.