“Cycling Surgeon” Professor Chris Oliver dies aged 63

Retired orthopaedic surgeon, public health expert and prominent cycling campaigner Professor Chris Oliver has passed away at the age 63.

Writing on his Cycling Surgeon Twitter account, Professor Oliver’s daughter Catherine, who rode more than 3,400 miles across the United States with him in 2013 – a trip he wrote about in The Guardian – said that his family was “heartbroken about the death of our dad, husband, grandpa Chris last week. He was an inspiring force in the cycling and health communities.”

Professor Oliver retired in 2018 from his position as consultant trauma orthopaedic and hand surgeon at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, a role he had held for 20 years, due to ill health. In recent years, he moved from Scotland to Wales, living in Machynlleth, Powys.

In his professional life, he was also Honorary Professor in Physical Activity for Health at the University of Edinburgh from 2015 to 2018, associate Research Fellow at the Edinburgh Napier University’s Transport Research Institute from 2018 to 2021, and King James IV Professor at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh from 2019 to 2020.

His passion for cycling saw him serve as chair of Cycling UK Scotland for a number of years, and more recently he acted as press officer for Spokes, the Edinburgh and Lothian cycling campaign group, which has published a tribute to him on its website.

Professor Oliver published extensively in medical and academic journals, including co-authoring a groundbreaking study into the danger posed by tram tracks to cyclists in the Scottish capital, citing nearly 200 instances in which riders were admitted to hospital after sustaining fractures following a fall.

> Cyclists injured on Edinburgh tram line paid £1.2m in compensation

He regularly shared his research with road.cc, and was always approachable for his thoughts on a range of issues ranging from those coinciding with his professional interests, to issues affecting cyclists in Edinburgh and beyond.

Our deepest sympathy goes out to his family and friends.