Wellesbourne cyclist suffers punctured lung after hitting pothole on country road

An elite Wellesbourne cyclist has called for more to be done to tackle potholes after a crash left him with a punctured lung and a broken rib.
Tim Stowe, 61, suffered a punctured lung and a broken rib in the crashTim Stowe, 61, suffered a punctured lung and a broken rib in the crash
Tim Stowe, 61, suffered a punctured lung and a broken rib in the crash

Tim Stowe, 61, came off his bike on a country road between Oxhill and Tysoe in south Warwickshire on Tuesday July 24 after hitting a pothole.

It is thought the pothole was reported to Warwickshire County Council as long ago as March.

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The crash put Tim, a keen cyclist who races for a veteran cycling team, in hospital for three nights.

Tim also suffered cuts and abrasionsTim also suffered cuts and abrasions
Tim also suffered cuts and abrasions

Now, Tim has said more needs to be done to try and repair potholes before cyclists suffer even worse injuries.

He said: “I remember years ago you used to be able to go on the main roads, and you’d feel very safe. Now we use the back roads more and more. And of course, they deteriorate fast.

Potholes can be fatal. You only have to take your eye off the ball for one second. What can break a spring in car can break you instead.

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"And we're going to spend all this money on HS2 when it could be spent on fixing the roads."

He hopes more can be done to improve roads for cyclistsHe hopes more can be done to improve roads for cyclists
He hopes more can be done to improve roads for cyclists

Tim cycles for veteran cycling team ‘Team Jewson - MI Racing’, led by 78-year-old Baginton cyclist Mick Ives.

And the road Tim was out cycling on was a usual training route of his.

He was cycling along at a decent pace and briefly glanced at his speedometer. But in that moment, Tim did not notice a pothole in front of him.

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The front wheel of Tim’s bike hit the pothole and he was violently thrown over his handlebars onto the road.

He said: “All of a sudden I was flying through the air and I fell onto my back.”

Although he knew he had hurt himself, Tim did not know the full extent of his injuries at the time and amazingly decided to cycle all the way home.

He added: “I had about 10 miles to go to get to Wellesbourne, but I went steady because I knew I’d done something. My breathing was shallow.”

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When Tim eventually got home, he had a bath to clean his cuts, and his wife Diane then drove him to Warwick Hospital.

Tim was assessed by doctors, who found he had a punctured lung and a broken rib.

After his stay in hospital, Tim is now recovering from his injuries at home.

Mick, a good friend of Tim’s, was very critical of the amount of potholes not being fixed.

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In a previous interview, he said: “At times it’s frightening to go out on the bike because of the state of the roads.

“Some of the potholes are massive and many have been there for a long time, without any attention.

“I would appeal to all cyclists to report to their local council any potholes they see on their rides. These holes don’t appear overnight.”

A spokesman for Warwickshire County Council said: "A pothole was reported to us on the Thursday March 29, which was called through to our Out Of Hours Officer and filled with tarmac and made safe that evening.

"However, it is presently unclear whether these incidents are linked. Warwickshire Highways will undertake a full inspection of the area and, if necessary, arrange for appropriate repairs."