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Tour de France champion and Olympic time trial gold medallist Bradley Wiggins is in hospital after a crash, reports the Lancashire Evening Post.
The 32-year-old was hit by a driver of an Astra Envoy van in Wrightington, close to Wiggins’ home in Eccleston, near Chorley, and she was later questioned by police.
Initial reports are that ‘Wiggo’ has broken several ribs and suffered hand and wrist injuries.
The incident happened outside a BP garage on Crow Orchard Road, close to the junction with Mossy Lea Road, at 6pm this evening (pic: Google Maps). A white Astra Envoy van pulled off garage forecourt and hit Wiggins. The incident may be an all-too-familiar SMIDSY incident: when cyclists and motorcyclists are hit by drivers who claim ‘sorry, I didn’t see you’.
Garage attendant Yasmin Smith told Sky TV: "A lady had pulled out of the garage turning right, looked left looked right and didn’t see [Wiggins]".
On Twitter Mark Hope said the road in front of the garage was "a difficult area for all – speeding traffic merging from all directions, 100m from M6 roundabout. Manic."
The driver was heard to say afterwards: “I can’t believe it. Of all the people to hit, bloody Bradley Wiggins.”
Wiggins was riding with members of the Sky team, including a team motor vehicle. The Sun has a phone photo of the crash aftermath. A statement from Team Sky said:
‘We can confirm that Bradley Wiggins was involved in a road traffic accident whilst riding his bike near his home in Lancashire on Wednesday evening. He is being kept in hospital overnight for observation but the injuries he has sustained are not thought to be serious and he is expected to make a full and speedy recovery.
Garage attendant Yasmin Smith, said: “He was in a lot of pain. He said he thought he had broken his ribs and while a lot of police cars arrived it was about 15 minutes before the ambulance got there by which time he was blue.”
Wiggo’s wife Cath is on Twitter and will no doubt have updates soon. In 2009, she was hit from behind while riding her bike. The driver gave the SMIDSY excuse.
Wiggins was due to be on the BBC Radio 2’s Chris Evans Breakfast Show on Thursday morning.
