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Exmoor Beauty organiser responds after sportive cyclist airlifted to hospital

Focus on event safety highlighted in response to police statement that formed basis of news reports

The organiser of last Sunday’s Exmoor Beauty sportive, in which a 61-year-old cyclist was airlifted to hospital after crashing and ending up underneath a car, has responded to what he says was a misleading statement issued by Avon & Somerset Constabulary in connection with the incident.

The police statement, which is no longer on the force's website but formed the basis of reports in press outlets including This Is Somerset, had given the impression that the emergency services had not been involved at all in the response to the incident, and that the injured cyclist had been flown to hospital by “private helicopter.”

Yesterday, road.cc contacted organiser Marcus Di Vincenzo of organisers MIG Events to clarify the situation, not least because some aspects of the newspaper reports did not seem to add up, not least that reference to the helicopter – which in fact, turned out to be the Devon Air Ambulance, summoned to the scene from Exeter.

Mr Di Vincenzo, a former Royal Marine who used his military experience to found a security business that works with organisations such as Formula 1 and has also provided training to tanker owners concerned about piracy in the Gulf of Aden, confirmed that a full risk assessment of the route had been conducted in accordance with British Cycling’s guidelines for sportive organisers.

As part of that, the downhill stretch of road where the cyclist lost control of his bike was identified as potentially posing a particular hazard, leading to the decision to place an ambulance nearby, among a number of steps taken to ensure the safety of participants, as a statement subsequently issued by the organisers confirms.

“Following an earlier detailed risk assessment, one of two medical technicians crews, engaged by the Exmoor Beauty Cycle Challenge, had been instructed to station themselves at the point where riders started their final run back to the coast,” said the statement.

“Deciding to follow the rider downhill, the crew were on the scene of the accident within seconds and, aided by a doctor who was also taking part in the ride, the injured cyclist’s injuries were diagnosed as life threatening.

“The crew immediately summoned up the emergency services and arrangements were quickly made for the Devon Air Ambulance to attend. Within 20 minutes, the injured rider was being transported to Frenchhay Hospital, where his condition is described as critical.

The statement continued: “The speed of the response, to this incident, owes much to the organiser’s stipulation that all key personnel, assisting with the logistics of the event, be equipped with satellite communications, which could supply the landing coordinates, should a helicopter be needed.

“With mobile phone signals not being available in many parts of the moor, the high-tech option was a vital part of the event’s risk assessment. In an effort to prevent any mishaps, the assessment had also found it essential to fix high visibility caution and slow signs along those sections of the route where extra care needed to be exercised.

“Signs were also posted cautioning other road users that the event was in progress. In changeable and sometimes arduous weather conditions, over 600 riders completed the 70 mile challenge without incident.

It concluded: “The thoughts of the event’s organisers, and everybody who took part, are with the injured rider and his family, with all hoping for a full and speedy recovery.”

When he spoke to road.cc yesterday, Mr Vincenzo highlighted that there was no suggestion that the motorist had done anything wrong, although with the priority being the treatment of the injured cyclist, no-one on the spot took his details, nor were the police immediately notified - their statement had said that they were first alerted when the rider arrived at the hospital in Bristol.

The driver has subsequently spoken to police as a witness, and according to This Is The West Country, the cyclist’s condition is no longer considered to be life-threatening.

Simon joined road.cc as news editor in 2009 and is now the site’s community editor, acting as a link between the team producing the content and our readers. A law and languages graduate, published translator and former retail analyst, he has reported on issues as diverse as cycling-related court cases, anti-doping investigations, the latest developments in the bike industry and the sport’s biggest races. Now back in London full-time after 15 years living in Oxford and Cambridge, he loves cycling along the Thames but misses having his former riding buddy, Elodie the miniature schnauzer, in the basket in front of him.

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37monkey | 12 years ago
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The North Devon Journal and this is North Devon don't seem to have it right either. http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/Cyclist-hurt-race/story-15922175-detai...

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Simon_MacMichael replied to 37monkey | 12 years ago
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37monkey wrote:

The North Devon Journal and this is North Devon don't seem to have it right either. http://www.thisisnorthdevon.co.uk/Cyclist-hurt-race/story-15922175-detai...

The 'This Is...' sites (and the local newspapers to which they are linked) are owned by Northcliffe Media, a subsidiary of the Daily Mail & General Trust.

Nowadays, it's by no means unusual for a single article to be repeated across a number of local sites within a group (whether owned by Northcliffe, as these are, or other groups that own local and regional titles such as Trinity Mirror).

The problem is that when a article is updated and/or corrected, which seems to have happened here with the one published on This Is The West Country, it is by no means a given that the other versions of the original will also be changed.

That's what appears to have happened here.

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SideBurn | 12 years ago
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Looking at where this happened I am guessing that this incident could have been a lot worse without the Air Ambulance. Getting an injured person to somewhere with specialist facilities (Frenchay)not a standard A/E as the nearest A/E is (Taunton) would take two hours; that does not include the time taken to get there from presumably Minehead. All Air Ambulances are paid for by charity . I hope I never need them for myself or friends but I always bung some money in their collecting boxes and would ask others to do the same, particularly if you live or spend a lot of time in remote places! Also knowing where you are if you need to call is a good idea!Hopefully we will hear of his speedy recovery.

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Simon_MacMichael | 12 years ago
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Thanks for flagging that up, Darkerside.

The This Is Somerset article I flagged at the top was aimed to show how the incident was originally reported based on info from the police and without the subsequent clarification we (and other news sources) got from organisers.

Interestingly, we were first alerted to the story yesterday by the report on the This Is The West Country site, at the same link I give at the end of the article - but when I went back to it this morning, it had been changed to provide a different version of events, more in line with that reported above.

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Darkerside | 12 years ago
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Worth mentioning that This Is Somerset have a more up to date article as well. Not sure if you gave them a nudge... http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/Cyclist-s-injuries-longer-considered-lif...

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