SIR STEVE REDGRAVE SUFFERS MULTIPLE BROKEN BONES IN BIKE ACCIDENT
Sir Steve Redgrave suffered multiple broken bones after being thrown from a bike
By Daily Express Reporter
OLYMPIC rowing hero Sir Steve Redgrave suffered multiple broken bones after being thrown from a bike in a gruelling 3,000-mile charity race across America.
The 48-year-old, who won a record five gold medals, had blood pouring down his face after his front tyre punctured and he was sent flying head first over the handlebars of his mountain bike.
He suffered two broken ribs, a fractured cheekbone and a broken wrist.
He spent two nights in hospital recovering from his injuries after the accident, in the Appalachian Mountains, in West Virginia, last Friday.
Redgrave was taking part in what has been billed as the world’s toughest cycle race, from the west coast of the US to the east coast, when he came off his bike only 300 miles from the finishing line.
Writing about his injuries on his team’s website, he said: “Of all the things that possibly could have stopped me – tiredness, fatigue, diabetes – a simple blowout on the front wheel of a bike going around a corner can cause such pain.”
His seven-man team crossed 14 American states during the epic endurance ride, including climbing the Rocky Mountains and riding about 400 miles from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland.
Redgrave, Britain’s most successful Olympian, had hoped to raise £100,000 for The Steve Redgrave Fund and Sport Relief.
Teammate Peter McConnell said: “Steve flying down a highway hit something, we don’t know what, and went over the handlebars landing face first.
“He spent two nights in hospital. Our prime concern at that time was Steve. The race didn’t matter any more.”
The team, which included Redgrave’s friends from Marlow Rowing Club in Buckinghamshire, went on to finish in a time of seven days, three hours and 42 minutes.
