It's hard to believe this catalogue of injuries was sustained in an instant and a bike broken in two because of a pothole. But this is as easily and quickly as it can happen.
A cycling club has warned riders about the dangers or riding through puddles after one of its members suffered awful facial injuries.
There’s a photo of the cyclist’s facial injuries – a bloodied nose and face – at the very bottom of this piece. So if you don’t want to see it, don’t scroll down all the way.
The club in question is based in the UK. But given the state of the roads across many parts of Ireland, this case is sadly very relevant to Irish cyclists and so we’ve decided to cover it.
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The unfortunate cyclist in question is Simon Moss. He rides with JCA Equipe Velo, an amateur team from Milton Keynes.
Ironically, he has stopped racing because he felt the risk of crashing was too high.
He was on a club ride in Buckinghamshire when he hit a water-filled pothole, which the rain water had completely concealed.
Having hit the hole, his bike snapped at the front. And down Simon came onto the tarmac, taking much of the impact to his face.
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He suffered a fractured jaw, cheek and nose. He also sustained deep cuts to his face and lip which required stitching.
Furthermore, X-rays revealed a slight fracture to his spine; all because of a pothole.
As the photos show, the hole he hit was deep, with a straight edge. This would have been like riding into a high kerb with no warning.
Thankfully he had his club mates with him. The emergency services were called and he was taken off to hospital.
We wouldn’t dream of victim-blaming; clearly the road was left in shocking state. And the pothole was effectively a hidden trap for any passing cyclist.
But the case does highlight two safety messages. Firstly, avoid riding through large puddles or flooded sections of roads; though that won’t always be possible, as in this case.
Secondly, don't go out training alone whenever possible. Had Simon been on his own, this could have been very different matter.
The third of these three photos is discretionary
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