Leith Hill Accident - Sunday 22nd

oldhairylegs

Our club ride up to Box Hill went horribly wrong during the descent off Leith Hill yesterday, when one of our guys hit a pothole and face planted at around 30mph.

Fortunately, his helmet seems to have saved him from a serious head injury, but his face is in a pretty bad state.

Just wanted to say a very big thank you to the group of riders who were going up the hill at the time for stopping, immediately calling for an ambulance and helping us get him stabilised. Amidst all the chaos, we didn't get your names or a contact number, so I thought this forum might be a way of passing on our gratitude and appreciation for the help given.

Apologies also to the lady whose clothing got so much blood on it - hope it washes out ok and you all got to complete your ride without any other problems.

snowley

This is what the cycling community is all about!!

Well done to those people who helped, I'm sure if it was any other group, they would have stopped to assist also.

raymondo60

The road surfaces in and around that area are bloody lethal - its been mentioned on here many times. Leith Hill is particularly dangerous as you're hitting some really high speeds on the descent. Hope your buddy is OK and back on the bike in good form soon.

flasher

Only a shame that the Olympic road race isn't visiting a few more of the Surrey hills, because they sure could do with a resurfacing!

Hope your club mate gets well soon.

oldhairylegs

Thanks for the good wishes folks.

Happily, he has been discharged from hospital with no serious injuries, but suffice to say he won't be winning any beauty contests for the foreseeable future.

Have to agree about the state of the roads in that area though, which is such a shame as the route is a lovely scenic one, but you have to spend most of the time looking down at the road surface to avoid the craters. I did take some pictures of the offending hole and he is going to write to Surrey County Council when he is up to it.

Will update if anything comes of it.

drlodge

Glad to hear the chappy is healing and no longer in hospital. I ride Leith Hill quite a bit now and I really have to watch it on those pot holed roads. I get very nervous when approaching 30+ MPH if I can't see in front a good way, and tend to slow down rather than face an accident. Had a nasty surprise on Tuesday night heading downwards/south from Leith Hill - a cyclist coming up the hill and a range rover decided to overtake him and ended up facing me head on!

charliew87

Went up (and down) Leith Hill on Sunday. Wet road covered in leaves, blind bends and cars coming up the middle of the road, terrifying!

Survived it, but not surprised to find this topic when i searched 'Leith Hill' to see if anyone else has had a similar experience!!