Alligator remains cause six cyclist pile up, leaves man fighting for life in Florida

Six cyclists were injured, and one fighting for his life after a pile up caused by a dead alligator in Florida yesterday morning.

Around 30 riders were cycling in a group on Saturday morning at around 7am when one slipped on the remains of the reptile, which is thought to have been hit by a car, causing the bike's wheel to slip and five others to pile into him.

The first cyclist is now on a ventilator in Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale, with another three of the riders transferred to various hospitals with injuries including broken ribs and collarbones.

One of those in the group, Glenda Metz, told the Miami Herald how the first rider had gone down.

“He clipped it and we were going fast enough to make the front wheel of his bike lose control. He fell over and everyone riding behind him fell on him.”

He said the man was "fighting for his life" on a ventilator.

Metz managed to avoid the pile up, which took place at the junction of Indian Trace Road and State Road 84, in Weston. He said the group rides several times a week, and called the incident "very unusual". The alligator is believed to have been small, about the size of an iguana.

It's almost exactly a year since a less severe alligator encounter where cyclist Steve Spell narrowly missed an alligator while out riding on Swamp Road, Louisiana. The alligator appeared on the road while Spell was attempting a selfie. He swerved and missed the reptile, but came off his bike in the process.