An inquest has opened into the death of a 55-year-old cyclist following a crash during a Masters criterium race at Lee Valley VeloPark in London last month.
Paul Atkinson, from Bognor Regis, West Sussex, was competing in the second round of the Full Gas Spring Rumble Series at the Lee Valley circuit, in the Masters 50+ category, on Saturday 22 March when he reportedly was involved in a crash with a fellow racer, senior coroner Graeme Irvine said this week.
Opening the inquest into Mr Atkinson’s death at East London Coroner’s Court on Monday, Irvine described the crash, which saw the 55-year-old go over his handlebars and hit his head on the ground, as a “tragic incident” and “dreadfully sad”.
The coroner said the impact of the crash stopped the cyclist’s heart and fractured his spine. Resuscitation was attempted while the London Ambulance Service was called, with paramedics arriving within five minutes.
With Mr Atkinson displaying symptoms of “neurological trauma”, including fixed, enlarged pupils, he was taken to the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel, recognised as the capital’s principal trauma centre.
However, tragically, after “continuous resuscitative effort for over an hour”, Mr Atkinson was pronounced dead at 12.55pm. A post-mortem examination stated his provisional cause of death to be a “traumatic cervical spine fracture”.
As part of the inquest, Mr Atkinson’s family, his cycling club Velo Club St Raphael, and Lee Valley VeloPark have been named as “interested persons”, giving them legal rights to participate in the investigation.
The coroner also announced that he will need confirmation within seven days from Lee Valley VeloPark that CCTV footage of the race “has been saved for the purposes of an inquest”.
All staff present at the Full Gas Spring Rumble Series event are expected to supply statements, while there are plans to conduct interviews with others who took part in the race. The full inquest has been scheduled for 13 October.
Earlier this month, we reported that British Cycling had confirmed that it had also opened a full investigation into Mr Atkinson’s tragic death.
“We sincerely thank the local ambulance and police services, as well as the volunteers, first aiders, and Lee Valley VeloPark staff, for their swift and dedicated response,” the governing body said.
“Paul was regarded highly by the wider cycling community and will be missed by all who knew him. Our thoughts are with Paul’s family and friends.”
“We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of a rider following an accident during the Spring Rumble 2,” the event’s organiser Full Gas said in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with the rider’s family, friends, and teammates. This tragic loss will deeply affect the entire cycling community, and we ask for respect and privacy for those impacted during this difficult time.
“We sincerely thank the local ambulance and police services, as well as our volunteers, first aiders, and Lee Valley VeloPark staff, for their swift and dedicated response.”
Criterium races, such as the Full Gas series, are hosted throughout the year by Lee Vally VeloPark, the outdoor track next to the velodrome which hosted the track cycling events at the 2012 Olympic Games.
A spokesperson for Lee Valley VeloPark declined to comment on the coroner’s inquest, but said the venue would “support British Cycling in its investigation if and when required”.
A keen amateur racer, Atkinson represented Great Britain at the UCI Gran Fondo world championships in Scotland in 2023 and finished 12th at last year’s British national Masters circuit championships.
Michael Waite, the secretary of the 55-year-old’s Portsmouth-based cycling club, Velo Club St Raphael, described his clubmate’s death as “devastating”.
“Paul was a credit to Velo Club St Raphael over many years as a rider and a person,” Waite said. “He will be sadly missed by his family and the club.”
