Sutton injured in road accident

Shane Sutton, the head coach for the GB cycling team, has been hospitalised with bleeding on the brain following a road accident while on his bike.

The news adds to what has been a troubled 24 hours for British Cycling following the incident which saw Tour de France and Olympic champion Bradley Wiggins admitted to hospital after a collision with a vehicle on Wednesday.

"British Cycling has confirmed that Shane Sutton, head coach for the GB cycling team, was involved in an incident this morning on the A6 near Levenshulme in Manchester," said a spokesperson for British Cycling. "Shane was taken into hospital where it was identified he has suffered bruising and bleeding on the brain. Shane was wearing a helmet. He is set to undergo more tests, and is likely to stay in hospital for the next few days."

The spokesperson added: "It is extremely rare that our riders and coaches are hurt while out cycling on the road, even rarer that two incidents should occur in a short space of time, and we wish Shane and Bradley a speedy recovery.

"Cycling is not an intrinsically dangerous activity but there is much more to be done to improve conditions for cyclists on the roads.

"British Cycling is calling on the government to put cycling at the heart of transport policy to ensure that cycle safety is built into the design of all new roads, junctions and transport projects, rather than being an afterthought."

Police sources said the collision involving Sutton, on his bike, and a Peugeot 206 car took place at about 8.55am near the junction of Stockport Road and Clare Road in Levenshulme. The driver of the Peugeot was not injured and no arrests were made.

Wiggins, 32, was thrown off his bike when a white Vauxhall Astra Envoy is thought to have pulled out of a petrol station and collided with him.

A police source said his injuries from the crash were thought to be very serious at first, but later it appeared he suffered a number of broken ribs and cuts and bruises. He was released from hospital on Thursday afternoon.

The accident happened at about 6pm on Wednesday in Wrightington, Lancashire, which is near to his family home in Eccleston. The driver of the Astra, a local woman, was uninjured.