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“Everyday tasks have become my new challenge”: Christina Mackenzie in “excruciating pain” after being struck by hit-and-run motorist

The LEJOG and North Coast 500 record holder suffered a broken pelvis after being struck by a SUV driver towing a trailer

Update: Scottish endurance cyclist Christina Mackenzie says she is in “excruciating pain” and has “no mobility whatsoever”, two days after being struck by a hit-and-run SUV driver while she was training near Stirling.

However, the current female record holder for the Land’s End to John O’Groats and North Coast 500 routes has revealed that she now no longer requires surgery, despite breaking her pelvis and suffering multiple other injuries in Tuesday’s horror crash, reportedly caused by an undertaking motorist towing a trailer.

In a social media post shared from her hospital bed this afternoon, Mackenzie said: “Just a wee update and [to] thank everyone who has sent me personal messages and left comments. It’s a huge comfort and overwhelmingly all the kind words of support.

“Nearly 48 hours after the incident, I am still in excruciating pain and have no mobility whatsoever.

“Everyday tasks have become my new challenge. After consultation with Orthopaedics, I can avoid surgery and [I’m] now awaiting an assessment from the physio to discuss my recovery. One day at a time.”

The original story can be read below:

Scottish endurance cyclist Christina Mackenzie, who currently holds the women’s records for the North Coast 500 and Land’s End to John O’Groats routes, has suffered a broken pelvis after being struck by a hit-and-run SUV driver.

The incident occurred while Mackenzie was training on the A811 near the Kippen Station roundabout, close to her home in Stirling, at around 5.15pm yesterday evening.

According to a statement posted on her social media accounts, the 45-year-old – who was preparing for this Saturday’s Scottish Veteran Women’s Road Race Championships in Kilmarnock – was knocked off her bike by the driver of a Ford Ranger-style SUV, which was towing a high-sided agricultural trailer.

> Near Miss of the Day 671 

While trailers can often be a contributing factor towards collisions or close passes – as evidenced on multiple occasions on our Near Miss of the Day series – with careless drivers typically pulling in before the rear of the trailer has passed the cyclist being overtaken, it seems as if Mackenzie was initially struck by an undertaking motorist’s SUV before being “wiped out” by the trailer.

An eyewitness told the Daily Record that, as she approached the Kippen roundabout, Mackenzie indicated to turn right and change lanes. As she started to move across, the eyewitness said that the SUV driver came up the cyclist’s inside, striking her with both the vehicle and trailer before speeding off.

 “The driver of the vehicle had attempted to undertake her with the vehicle, initially striking her before the trailer wiped her out completely,” the online statement reads. “The driver of the SUV failed to stop.”

While the driver sped off as the time trial specialist lay injured by the side of the road, one of Mackenzie’s training partners noted that “the following motorists and a bus driver stopped and rendered excellent assistance to Christina before the emergency services arrived.”

Mackenzie suffered a broken pelvis and multiple other injuries in the collision, and is currently being treated in hospital.

> Christina Mackenzie breaks Land's End to John O'Groats record 

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were called around 5.05pm on Tuesday, September 27, to a report of a crash involving a cyclist and a car towing a trailer which failed to stop on the B822 at the Kippen roundabout, Stirling.

“The cyclist, a 45-year-old woman, was taken to Forth Valley Royal Hospital for treatment.

“Enquiries are ongoing to trace the driver and anyone with information that could help, including dash-cam footage, is asked to contact Police Scotland.”

Eyewitnesses or anyone with information have been told to contact police on 101, quoting incident number 2444 of Tuesday, September 27.

> Christina Mackenzie sets new women’s North Coast 500 record 

Yesterday’s horror crash has scuppered the end to what has been a sensational year for the Scottish endurance athlete. In May, Mackenzie set a new women’s solo record for the famous North Coast 500, covering the 516-mile route in 36 hours, 39 minutes and seven seconds.

In August she became Scottish 100-mile time trial champion and at the start of this month took her second British 12-hour championship, recording 263 miles on the Monmouthshire course.

The Stirling Bike Club rider’s impressive season built on an equally successful 2021, which featured perhaps her defining achievement to date: smashing the 19-year-old Land’s End to John O’Groats female record by an hour and half, covering the length of Great Britain in 51 hours, five minutes and 27 seconds.

Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news, the live blog, and the road.cc Podcast. After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross, he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer. Before his foray into cycling journalism, he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia, where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio). He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow, scenic country lanes of Co. Down.

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19 comments

Avatar
OldRidgeback | 1 year ago
0 likes

Sent her a get well message on Twitter - nasty incident and I hope the lowlife who caused it can be caught.

Avatar
Paul J | 1 year ago
1 like

That's a horrible road to cycle on. Narrowish, straight A-road with regular traffic. Fast close passes are normal there.

Though, this incident sounds almost deliberate, if the driver undertook at the roundabout approach once she got right. They knew she was there.

Avatar
iandusud | 1 year ago
4 likes

I have noticed that drivers of Ford Rangers are very often dangerous. I think they are often young farmers who like to think that they are American ranch owners. Older farmers tend to drive Land Rovers and generally at a more sedate pace. 

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to iandusud | 1 year ago
10 likes
iandusud wrote:

I have noticed that drivers of Ford Rangers are very often dangerous. I think they are often young farmers who like to think that they are American ranch owners. Older farmers tend to drive Land Rovers and generally at a more sedate pace. 

Definitely some of the worst in London at present, driven by idiots who want to pretend they are good old hard-working boys whereas everybody knows that genuine tradespeople would use a Transit or similar. Never yet seen one of these with a load on the flatbed, seen plenty with drivers using their phones, keeping the engine running while parked, parking up over the kerb, occupying cycle boxes etc etc. Never was the term wankpanzer more appropriate. I did suggest to Ford on Twitter that they could easily make a slight mod to the name but for some reason they never came back to me...

Avatar
HoarseMann replied to Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
2 likes

Been done. Mitsubishi got there first with the Pajero...

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pajero

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to HoarseMann | 1 year ago
4 likes
HoarseMann wrote:

Been done. Mitsubishi got there first with the Pajero...

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Pajero

As my dear brother-in-law once said to me when I remarked that I was thinking of buying a Yamaha Thundercat, "For Christ's sake, why don't they just make one called the Throbbing Purple Helmet and have done with it?"

Avatar
Secret_squirrel replied to Rendel Harris | 1 year ago
4 likes

Ahh one of the best named motorbikes in the world.  Imagine my disappointment never to have seen one being ridden by a cat-woman in a skintight leotard.

Mind you I've never been chased by a man on a Honda wielding a flaming sword so I guess it evens out.

Avatar
Fignon's ghost replied to iandusud | 1 year ago
1 like

I agree. IMO. Those double cab Rangers are pretty nifty. Usually driven by young farmers.
Cuts me up to think that this talent has been curtailed by a twat in a monster truck.

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don simon fbpe | 1 year ago
5 likes

Here's to a speedy recovery and the full weight of the law falling on the twat!

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IanMSpencer replied to don simon fbpe | 1 year ago
9 likes

The full weight appears to be a couple of feathers these days, especially when cyclists are concerned.

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OldRidgeback | 1 year ago
1 like

I hope she can recover fully. I hope the oxygen thief who caused this horrible crash can be traced and punished accordingly.

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essexian | 1 year ago
5 likes

The lowest of the low drive off after such incidents.

Time to double the penalty for anyone who does so. 

GWS.

Avatar
Rendel Harris replied to essexian | 1 year ago
12 likes
essexian wrote:

The lowest of the low drive off after such incidents.

Time to double the penalty for anyone who does so. 

GWS.

And for driving away, as in many states in America, to be regarded as a refusal to be tested for drink or drugs and therefore a failure of said tests, so that the penalty for drink/drug driving is added on top of any other sanction.

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mctrials23 replied to essexian | 1 year ago
11 likes

Will just claim they didn't realise they had hit her, or that the sun was in their eyes or the cyclist was behaving erratically or it was a tuesday. Its a fucking joke what we let people get away with in a 2 tonne lump of metal travelling at speed. Perhaps if driving was a priviledge instead of a right once you passed your test this wouldn't be the case. There should be no mitigating factors when you drive so dangerously that either you hurt someone or its simply through luck that you don't. 

3 strikes and you are out. Permanent ban. I don't care if you drive for a living. You should be extra careful about not losing your license if thats the case, not protected from your dangerous actions. 

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Simon_MacMichael replied to essexian | 1 year ago
3 likes

In Australia, they call it a "coward's run" which is pretty much spot on IMO.

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dubwise | 1 year ago
3 likes

Hope you recover fully Christina.

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Secret_squirrel | 1 year ago
8 likes

Jesus. Best wishes and speedy recovery to her. 
Even plod Scotland are going to have to pull their fingers out on this one right?

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dubwise replied to Secret_squirrel | 1 year ago
7 likes
Secret_squirrel wrote:

Even plod Scotland are going to have to pull their fingers out on this one right?

Not a chance, they don't give a damn either.

Mind you, if Christina tells them it was Alec Salmond or one of his supporters Police Scotland would have the whole force out hunting them down.

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the infamous grouse replied to Secret_squirrel | 1 year ago
5 likes

sadly i think the most that can be expected is someone makes available some dashcam footage of a vehicle+trailer matching the description, within range of the location/time, and a private prosecution taking place.

pretty much zero chance of polscot achieving anything meaningful here, though i would be delighted to be shown differently.

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