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Updated: Cyclist airlifted to hospital after crashing on yesterday's Wiggle Dragon Ride

Rider taken to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, full details yet to emerge

A cyclist taking part in ysterday's Wiggle Dragon Ride, based at Margam Country Park, Port Talbot, was flown by air ambulance after crashing during the event.

There are no details as yet as to the extent of the cyclist's injuries or their condition.

In a statement, event organisers Human Race said:

There was an incident involving a cyclist at the Dragon Ride on 9th June which was attended by the Welsh Ambulance Service. The rider was airlifted to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where he is being treated for his injuries. The incident occurred on the descent of the Bwlch at Abergwynfi. Human Race, organisers of the Dragon Ride will conduct a full investigation into the circumstances of the incident and currently understand no vehicles or other cyclists were involved. The injured rider was attended to by a number of medical professionals who were also taking part in the Dragon Ride prior to St. John's Ambulance and the Air Ambulance arriving at the scene.

According to road.cc's Dave Atkinson, who is familiar with the section of road in question having ridden past editions of the event, "the descent off the Bwlch is pretty fast and open, Abergwynfi itself isn't a steep section but you can be carrying quite a lot of speed into the village."

In the comments below this article, road.cc user David Gunthorpe reveals how he was the first rider on the scene, coming across the stricken cyclist – whom he says is “doing ok, apparently” in hospital – immediately after a cattle grid which was preceded by a right hand corner at the bottom of the descent.

Speaking to BBC News South West Wales, he said: "I came round the corner, still descending, and I saw this guy in the middle of the road and he wasn't moving.

"I pulled over and I checked his pulse, which was fine. He was face down and bleeding from his nose and face.

"He was conscious but we were concerned about his breathing."

Two doctors and a surgeon also taking part in the ride stopped and performed emergency CPR prior to the arrival of St John Ambulance and subsequently the emergency helicopter.

He added: "The rear tyre had blown off the rim about 10 inches. It might have happened as we came over a cattle grid further back. His rear wheel was locked."

According to other comments below, there were a lot of crashes during the event, particularly early on, leading some cyclists to ride cautiously given the conditions.

 

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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37 comments

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ScotchPoth (not verified) | 11 years ago
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Ive ridden around this area around treorchy and there are some great climbs and fast descents
ive always been cautious when negotiating cattle grids,i tend to get off and walk over them as there is a significant juddering and i imagine you could quite easily lose control
good luck to the injured cyclist

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troj | 11 years ago
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A few accidents early on. I think if they had the same marshaling at the same points as last year when it was wet it could of reduce some of the accidents. Plus there are a lot of riders with big engines that can't handle or ride safely. On the final decent because of the wind I decided to take it a little slower and give myself bigger margins.

Better to be slower and finish in one piece.
I do hope he is ok.

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dgunthor | 11 years ago
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I was first on scene, have spoken to BBC news and it's on their website now.

I took his pulse and phoned 999, then 2 doctors and a surgeon turned up (cyclists) and did some CPR and maintained his breathing till ambulance / helecopter arrived.

He's doing ok in hospital apparently, I'm due to get an update this afternoon.

Looks like he had a blowout on the cattle grid as his rear tyre was outside the rim by about 10 inches and the wheel wouldn't turn in the frame.

Hope he's ok.

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dgunthor | 11 years ago
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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-south-west-wales-22839283

I was first on scene (David Gunthorpe) - looked like a blowout on the rear tyre and wheel locked, suspect it happened at the cattle grid.

Chap is doing ok in hospital apparently.

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TheOldCog | 11 years ago
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the rider was looking in a bad state, went past just after it happend, I heard the first-aider ask the other one, "has he got a pulse?" thankfully the reply was "yes" Not sure if there are any cattle grid warning signs there, but there certainly is plenty of slow and 30 mph warning signs. The Rider was on the deck about 3-5 meters after the grid.

Hope the rider recovers fully.

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hennahairgel | 11 years ago
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The crash was just after the cattle grid as you descend into the village. There's a sharpish right just before it that should encourage some speed loss, but it's just after the first, fast, descent.

I hope that he recovers quickly, and that it does not affect a well organized event.

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JohnBuc | 11 years ago
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There were a lot of crashes yesterday especially early on before the groups thinned out.
Hope the rider is ok and mends quickly.

It was pretty brutal yesterday with the heat and I was very aware that fatigue could play a big part so I was pretty cautious when descending later in the day.

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