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news
2024 Giant Defy Advanced SL 0 - riding 2.jpgroad.cc tech editor Mat Brett making "phenomenal progress" in recovery from life-threatening cycling incident
Six weeks ago, we reported that our tech editor Mat Brett had been involved in a serious cycling incident while on his regular lunchtime ride. Lots of you have been in touch to ask for updates on his progress, and though it feels somewhat strange writing a news article about a great friend and colleague, it seems like the best (and proper) way for us to deliver the news of his progress... which has been remarkably good and "defying medical science", as our co-founder Tony Farrelly put it!
It's obviously going to be a long road back, but Mat has left doctors astounded with the speed of his recovery so far. After speaking for the first time just over two weeks after being admitted, Mat was moved out of ICU on the third week of July. Earlier this week he was up on his feet, and will soon be starting more intensive physical rehabilitation.
Here are some more of Tony's words after a recent visit:
"He's doing amazingly well, and very chatty. His short-term memory is a bit shot, he can't remember what happened and for the time being at least he doesn't really want to remember either.
"By all accounts he's defying medical science."
The road.cc team has been receiving updates via Mat's wife Cheryl since the incident, who wishes to stress the importance of running bike cameras when riding on public roads in the UK.
We'd like to thank all of our readers, friends in the bike industry and anyone else who has wished Mat well during this difficult time. Hopefully the next update will be from the man himself in the form of an expertly-crafted feature, news article or product review, and until then we'll continue trying our best to offer half of what he brings to the team!
Arriving at road.cc in 2017 via 220 Triathlon Magazine, Jack dipped his toe in most jobs on the site and over at eBikeTips before being named the new editor of road.cc in 2020, much to his surprise. His cycling life began during his students days, when he cobbled together a few hundred quid off the back of a hard winter selling hats (long story) and bought his first road bike - a Trek 1.1 that was quickly relegated to winter steed, before it was sadly pinched a few years later. Creatively replacing it with a Trek 1.2, Jack mostly rides this bike around local cycle paths nowadays, but when he wants to get the racer out and be competitive his preferred events are time trials, sportives, triathlons and pogo sticking - the latter being another long story.
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23 comments
Great news - hope the recovery continues to wow the doctors and nurses.
Just in case these comments are making their way back to Mat and his family, I wish you all the best for a speedy recovery and a return to these pages.
Keep going Mat. Your next Road CC story is going to be the most read in the site's history!
This is great news, but it's also clear how serious it was.
I've always enjoyed Mat's writing style, especially his bone-dry sense of humour, and look forward to being able to do so again.
Great news to read. Keep recovering, Matt.
big luck matt
This is fantastic news. Thanks for the update road.cc
Fantastic news.
Though it is sobering to be reminded how vulnerable we all are.
Positive news, we all need some of that. 👍🏻
I empathise with not wanting to remember too much, having experienced the same following my hit and run. I only 'remember' my ride via my Garmin as I still have no memory of that day 3 years later.
As for cameras, I just curse the fact I don't appear to have realised my batteries (front and rear) had gone flat, or maybe the #*@*#*##*@ who left me for dead may have been caught.
Best Wishes for a full and swift recovery Mat.
[edit: annoying that editing even a simple typo results in the post being placed as the most recent one, out of order🙄]
I get what mean, but on the other side of coin is having a video to watch of the accident seems to make it never go away 🤦🏻♂️
I understand that - I recently deleted my entire folder of incidents as all the associated legal cases were complete but I seemed to feel a compulsion to glance at them occasionally, particularly one in which I was assaulted...realised that wasn't healthy. Still running a camera and reporting when necessary, but deleting everything once the case is over (or, as is more likely now, when it's NFA'd).
Plus you have the satisfaction of concluding your GDPR data controller responsibility by purging the data that has concluded its life cycle. So nothing to see for ico.gov.uk.
Totally get this. My camera wasn't running as I was planning a long ride after work and just didn't want the faff of something extra with me. Hindsight says the individual would have been lifted if I had have brought them. Meanwhile my garmin is a record by showing 20mph to zero in a split second. I had considered asking to view the cctv side view but the cop refused as it was apparently not pretty.
Fanfeckingtastic!
Well done Mat.
Keep getting better.
Best wishes to you and your family
Wow. I'm only an occasional visitor here and wasn't aware of this. Best wishes for a full recovery Mat. Heal well, including the mental scars, which are very real although not visible.
Over the 45 years of my road riding I've lost three friends to idiot drivers and had plenty scrapes of my own.
We do heal well, but we're so vulnerable, we're flesh and blood on 7kg of carbon fibre and rubber.
Take care, all.
Very pleased to hear he's 'on the road' to recovery - obviously a long way to go and I didn't know how serious it was until this update. All the very best to him, his family and friends 🙏🙏🙏
Very good to hear, carry on defying medical science Mat! Look at Remco and Jonas and Primoz this year, clearly cyclists don't hold any truck with normal predictions of recovery...
I hadn't realised how serious it was but am pleased to hear about a rate of recovery I hope will continue.
Thanks for the update, the road.cc team and commenters feel like an extended family to me, so it is great to hear Mat is on the mend
Thanks for the update. All the best to Mat and his family (and for his continuing recovery).
All the best and all kudos to you for your super-human recovery Mat from someone who has ridden that path into ICU and months in a wheelchair following my car vs cycle smash and the wonderful Air Ambulance staff who saved my life a few years back.
Good to hear, hope he is out and about soon.
Excellent news, thanks for the update.