Rider back from the brink

AARON BAILEY thought he could be dying as he lay in a French ambulance after passing out at high speeds in the Duo de la Normand race. Bailey is back home recovering from four broken ribs and a broken collarbone after the scariest crash of his long cycling career close to the finish of the pairs race near the town of Marigny.

The rider cannot recall much about the incident which was the result of heat exhaustion and passing out on a downhill descent.

'It wasn't too pleasant,' Bailey said with a large slice of under-statement having spent two days in hospital in St Lo and a further one at the PEH.

The crash certainly put the fear of God into colleague Paul Brehaut.

'He scared me big time,' said Brehaut, who is relieved to see his mate recovering well.

Brehaut knew his partner was in trouble when he began swerving across the road within 12 kilometres of the finish.

In very hot conditions, the Guernsey pair were enjoying a cracking ride as they moved quickly through Marigny.

'I took over on the brow of the hill and I realised something was wrong when he went onto the grass.

'He then went zooming to the left before swooping back the other way. He had a blank expression although his legs were still moving. He then started aiming at cones in the road and he hit the third.'

It's estimated the riders were travelling at between 30 and 35mph on the downhill when Bailey crashed.

Brehaut found him unconscious and having seen he was breathing put him in the recovery position.

It was about 25 minutes before paramedics arrived and they found the Guernseyman in a poor state with blood pressure of just 60 over 40.

There were real concerns for his recovery.

'It was a scary time,' said the injured rider, who eventually came to in the ambulance.

'In the ambulance I thought this is it,' said Bailey.

'We were having a bloody good ride too,' said the rider, who does remember how hot it was.

'It was 35C and there was no air movement at all. It's the hottest I've ever been.

'On the final descent I just blacked out through heat exhaustion.

Bailey's helmet - badly damaged - undoubtedly saved him.