Mark Cavendish bruised in training crash collision with car on day his engagement announced

Mark Cavendish has become the latest of Great Britain's cycling stars to suffer an injury while out on his bike, riding into the back of a car that had braked suddenly. The former world champion suffered nothing worse than a bruised arm in the incident, which came on the same day as The Sun revealed that he and girlfriend Peta Todd had got engaged.

In a message posted on Twitter on Sunday evening Cavendish, who will ride for Omega Pharma-Quick Step in 2013 after a largely frustrating 2012 season with Team Sky in which the big aim of Olympic gold in London also eluded him, said: "Went & hit the back of a car that slammed on today in training. Wasn't ideal. Apart from a bruised arm, I'm relatively ok. If anyone cares."

It's not known where the incident took place, but Cavendish has been training in recent days near his Italian home in Quarrata, Tuscany. It comes less than a fortnight after Sky and Great Britain colleague Bradley Wiggins and coach Shane Sutton were both hospitalied in separate incidents in the North West of England.

As for those impending wedding bells, according to The Sun, Cavendish proposed to Todd in front of their infant daughter Delilah Grace at home last Sunday, the second anniversary of their having met at a charity event in California.

While Todd is obvioulsy looking forward to the wedding, she confessed she is dreading the first dance - what's more, her future husband is someone who was a talented ballroom dancer in his youth.

“The first thing my friends want to know is what our first dance will be," she revealed.

"I am the most uncoordinated person you’ll ever meet — all long legs and clumsy feet — and Mark did ballroom dancing at national level as a teenager."

During the Olympics, Cavendish had provided expert commentary at the velodrome for the BBC.

From what Todd said, it could well be the case that he's continuing to analyse the performance of one of Britain's London 2012 gold medallists in particular - Victoria Pendleton - in another of the broadcaster's shows.

“This is a guy who watches Strictly and critiques the performances, so God knows what I’ll look like next to him," she admitted.

A London wedding in October next year looks likely, although the venue is yet to be decided, as Cavendish explained.

“I’d marry her tomorrow in a register office. For me it’s about marrying the girl I love, I haven’t got my head around all the details yet," he said.

“All I know is we want our friends and family there, so we’re going to do it in London because that’s central to all of the people in our lives.

“A lot of my friends are based in Europe because they’re pro cyclists, and my family are on the Isle of Man. And Peta’s are in the London and Essex area.

“We’re planning to do it in October because that’s the only time I can get clear of all my other commitments," he continued.

“We were toying with the idea of getting married in St Paul’s Cathedral,” he added. “I’m allowed to because I was awarded an MBE last year, but it’s fully booked. It would have been nice, but it’s not the be all and end all.”