Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

news

Team Sky IG Markets Challenge event abandoned as rider collapses

Paramedics attend to 40-year old male on scene for an hour

An event to mark a new partnership between financial trading firm IG Markets and Sky Pro Cycling had to be curtailed today after a participant in a static bike race suffered a suspected cardiac arrest.

Today’s IG Markets Square Mile Challenge event at Broadgate Circle, near Liverpool Street Station in the City of London was supposed to have been an opportunity for the two parties to promote and celebrate the new sponsorship deal by allowing members of the public to pit themselves against some of the Team Sky stars on static bikes.

City workers and other amateurs had signed up to ride against Bradley Wiggins, Geraint Thomas and Ben Swift, but at around 1.00pm one of several riders involved in a virtual race with Wiggins slumped off his machine.

Road.cc’s own Mat Brett was due to participate in the event and had just arrived when the incident occurred.

“At first it didn’t seem like it was anything more serious than a guy passing out from going at it too hard. Everyone assumed he'd just bonked or fainted - lack of breakfast, type of thing. This was at 1pm.

They called for the paramedic immediately, and then once the race was over it started becoming obvious that something wasn't right and they cleared the place right away.

Bike paramedic showed up first, then an ambulance. They screened the area, took in CPR equipment. After about an hour of people milling about, they took the guy off and started dismantling the equipment. There was obviously going to be no more racing today.” Mat told us.

Bradley Wiggins later tweeted that he understood that the rider was talking again "so good news". 

The London Ambulance Service confirmed to road.cc that they were called to the scene to attend to a 40-year-old male who had suffered a suspected cardiac arrest. The man was subsequently transported to the Royal London Hospital. 

We will bring you further news of his condition as soon as we have it.
 

Add new comment

7 comments

Avatar
dave atkinson | 13 years ago
0 likes

Fantastic news, thanks for letting us know. Have a great Christmas!

 1  1  1

Avatar
cyclists wife | 13 years ago
0 likes

Hi - I'm the wife of the man who collapsed. I just wanted to let you know that, thanks to the AMAZING work of those on the scene and the medics at hospital my husband has made a remarkable recovery and we expect him home for Christmas. He's one of the fittest people I've ever known and a keen road cyclist and we never expected that anything like this would ever happen but it did and we are blessed to have him back. Thank you for your concern and well wishes during this time. We will never be able to express our thanks sufficiently to all those involved.

Avatar
andyp19762010 | 13 years ago
0 likes

I was also there for the event and would just like to point out that before any other paramedics arrived, the Ambulance Technician that had been booked to cover the event (Abacus Ambulance based in Southend-On-Sea) was on the scene and working on the patient which I believe was about five minutes or so, performing CPR, administering oxygen and using the defib on the patient twice before the other crews arrived and took over.

As far as I have been made aware he is now in ITU at the Royal London and hanging on in there!

Avatar
Mat Brett | 13 years ago
0 likes

Best wishes go to the gent and all around him. Fingers crossed for a full and speedy recovery.

I don't think it would have been right to poke around and try to get any more info from the organisers at such a difficult time. At the end of the day, some things are more important than getting a story.

Also, it must have been pretty traumatic for Wiggins and the other guys racing once they realised what a bad way this fella was in.

Here's hoping it all works out well.

Avatar
Tony Farrelly | 13 years ago
0 likes

Mat said the paramedics were on the scene for a long time. He'll probably have more to tell us when he gets back. The hospital won't say what his condition is, but we're hoping that's because their patient is well enough to say that he doesn't want any publicity. The whole thing must have been a terrible shock for all concerned. Let's hope he makes a full recovery.

Avatar
JonMack | 13 years ago
0 likes

According to the story on BR it took them 40 minutes to get him breathing again!

Avatar
othello | 13 years ago
0 likes

I was there at the same time and there was a rumour going around that he had died. But it looks like the rumour was untrue which is great news. He did not look good though. Best wishes to him on a speedy recovery.

Latest Comments