Team GB rider Johnny Bellis was critically injured while riding his motor scooter near his training base in Italy yesterday. British Cycling issued the following brief statement on the incident.
Bellis is rated as one of Team GBs prospects for London 2012, he came to prominence as a track cyclist, but showed what he could do on the road with an impressive ride to third place in the 2007 world U23 road race.
British Cycling Statement
21 year old cyclist Johnny Bellis from the Isle of Man was involved in a crash on his motor scooter on 19th September near his training base in Quarratta Italy. Johnny is in a critical condition in the CTO hospital in Florence. Max Sciandri of the British Cycling Academy is at the hospital.
British Cycling’s Performance Director Dave Brailsford said “All our focus and attention right now is on Johnny and his family and ensuring that they are looked after and given the best possible care at this time”
Tony has been editing cycling magazines and websites since 1997 starting out as production editor and then deputy editor of Total Bike, acting editor of Total Mountain Bike and then seven years as editor of Cycling Plus. He launched his first cycling website - the Cycling Plus Forum at the turn of the century. In 2006 he left C+ to head up the launch team for Bike Radar which he edited until 2008, when he co-launched the multi-award winning road.cc - which he continues to edit today. His favourite ride is his ‘commute’ - which he does most days inc weekends and he’s been cycle-commuting since 1994. His favourite bikes are titanium and have disc brakes.