Driver forces Northern Ireland cyclist off road and into barbed wire fence

A cyclist who represented Northern Ireland at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games earlier this month has spoken of how a driver forced him off the road and into a barbed wire fence.

Xeno Young, aged 18 and from Lisburn, was left with lacerations on his arms as a result of the incident, which happened when he was on a training ride.

Posting a picture of his injuries to Facebook, he wrote: “Forced off the road and into a field by a careless driver today pulling out of his driveway today. 

“This isn’t the first time I’ve been hit by a car and the sad reality of it is that it probably won’t be last. 

“I’m lucky this time that I only landed through a barbed wire fence, the news could’ve been much worse had it been anything else. 

“I just can’t believe that this stuff still goes on,” he added.

In a tweet, Young’s Powerhourse Sports team, which said that the rider had only been back from Australia for five days, added that “the driver ‘didn’t see him’.”

Young took part in the road race at the Commonwealth Games, and last year won a silver medal in the junior individual pursuit at the European Junior and Under-23 Track Championships.