DETERMINED cyclist Ben Upton pedalled more than 200 miles of a charity ride from John O’Groats to Land’s End with a fractured collar bone following a horrific accident.
The 37-year-old nurse from Chorley said this week that he felt lucky to be alive after being thrown over his handlebars near Bristol.
His double fracture was only discovered the day after the end of the marathon when he went for a hospital check-up at Truro Hospital last Friday.
Ben was in a seven-man team of local cyclists who expect to have raised about £4,000 to be split between Leukaemia Research funds and the Elliott Clee Trust for research into autism.
“I was only going at 20-30mph when I took the wrong line on a corner,” he explained. “I put both my brakes on, but hit the kerb and went over the handlebars. There was a pile of gravel on the side of the road, which probably stopped me from going down a bank.
“That and my helmet, which was split by the impact, probably saved my life. I felt a little dizzy, but the bike was alright and I was able to carry on after 10 minutes. I cycled another 60 miles before the overnight stop and then continued for a further three days to Land’s End.
“It was a bit painful cycling, especially going up the hills, but I thought it was only bruising. As a nurse I tell people to get checked-out – I should have done,” he admitted. “It was a bit of a shock to find out about a double fracture of the clavicle.”
Ben is now off work for several weeks and unable to play cricket for Chorley or take part in the triathlons that he enjoys so much.
The marathon cyclists were led by Eric ‘Sherpa’ Stevens, 62, of Wellmeadow, who was on his 10th John O’Groats to Land’s End cycling marathon, which is over about 1,000 miles.
Also in the team were Eric’s son Alex, 25, Gerry Ellis, Helen Beavers, Chris Heart and Steve Hughes.
They were assisted by the back-up team of Andy Clee – Elliott Clee’s father – Liz Rochelle, Paul Marsh, Trevor Stevens and Keith Blower.
Further support through sponsorship was given by Beach Insurance, Lee and Hazel Foster and Ken Reynolds.
The group took 12 and a half days to complete the marathon and were greeted for a huge celebration at the end by many family members and friends.
Elliott Clee led the team for the final three quarters of a mile on his own bike.
Pictured: Ben Upton celebrates