Devil Take the Hindmost is a risky race

Ruined on their first outing of the year

RCUK and Norwood Paragon member Simon Warren’s Good Friday meeting came to an abrupt end when he was involved in the crash that marred the Elimination Race eventually won by Bradley Wiggins. Here’s his account of the incident.

‘Rode the points race, got no points, but when Wiggins went on the front I was about 10th wheel and I didn’t get dropped, I was happy about that, it was evil though, but I wasn’t racing I was just surviving, it was horrible at times. Next was the one mile dash, I went for a glory lap on the first lap got a gap and pleased my fans and the public, someone else tried, I tried to get on their wheel, couldn’t and sat up as the bunch came past but I’d been out the front so I was happy.

‘Then came the elimination race. It was very nervous, a lot of bumping, a lot of riders, we nearly came off a couple of times. I was in a terrible place most of the race but managed to survive about 10 laps, maybe more. Then came the crash, nothing I could do, one guy lost it, hit another, it was all in slow motion, I saw a gap but it was shut as someone else fell then comes the moment you realise you are next.

‘It’s a moment along with the other crashes I’ve had that will forever be frozen in time, one minute you are doing 25mph, the next time you are stopped, you can see the bikes on the floor in front of you and you know it’s going to hurt. I hit the ground with my left hand and fore arm. The rest is a blur, although I remember the bike travelling about 3 meters further than me. I sat up and started my body check, my fingers hurt first as I’d taken the skin off them, then my left elbow, then the left elbow hurt alot.

‘I got up walked to the middle and started to bleed. Simon R helped me out and checked my bike which looks fine. St Johns patched me up and said they would call me an ambulance as the cut on my elbow was exposing the bone, I said ‘nonsense’, packed my stuff up, rode to the station, got the train to London bridge and then rode 5 miles home to get my lock then rode to casualty.’