Cyclist falls and breaks collarbone during time trial on A428 in South Cambridgeshire

A cyclist taking part in a time trial on the A428 on Sunday fell from her bike and was briefly unconscious.

Police and the ambulance service attended the scene near Hardwick and the time trial, organised by Cambridge Cycling Club, was abandoned.

The rider was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital and was found to have a broken collar bone.

Chris Dyason, from Cambridge Cycling Club, told the Cambridge Independent: “Anyone passing the scene on the A428 yesterday morning could be forgiven for thinking that there must be a serious injury incident as there were five emergency vehicles present and one lane and the slip road were coned off.

“What actually had happened was that a rider had crashed on the dual carriageway adjacent to the start of the slip road and was briefly unconscious. She was taken to Addenbrooke’s because of the concussion and was found to have a broken collar bone along with the expected grazes and bruises. No other vehicle was involved.

“The event was abandoned as quickly as possible and all riders withdrawn from the dual carriageway.”

The incident prompted discussion on social media about the safety of time trials along the 70mph dual carriageway.

Chris said: “Motorists often ask/complain about cycling time trials taking place on dual carriageways, but the fact is that it is perfectly legal and statistically events on dual carriageways are safer than those on single carriageway roads where junctions, driveways etc all pose safety threats that don’t occur on dual carriageways.

“Although no other vehicle was involved in this case I saw a comment on the Hardwick village Facebook page saying these events need better signage to warn drivers. I can say that I erected 30 cycle event warning signs on the A428 and approach roads in the early hours yesterday so every driver on the road passed at least two signs before seeing a rider.

“The sport is carefully controlled with strict safety requirements and roads are used when relatively quiet.”

A police spokesperson said: “We were called at about 10.30am yesterday (21 September) with reports that a cyclist had been involved in a collision on the A428 at Hardwick. Officers and ambulance attended the scene. However, it became apparent the cyclist had not been struck by a vehicle but had fallen off her bike.”

A spokesperson for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “We were called just after 10.21am on Sunday with reports of an injured cyclist on the A428 near Hardwick. An ambulance, an ambulance officer vehicle and a response car from the East Anglian Air Ambulance were sent to the scene. The cyclist, an adult female, was transported to Addenbrooke’s Hospital for further care.”