TWO cyclists are still seriously ill in hospital after separate incidents during the London to Brighton charity bike ride on Sunday.
A man in his 30s from London suffered life-threatening injuries after colliding with a telegraph pole at 7.25am in Rocky Lane, Gatton Park. He has taken by road ambulance to St George's Hospital in Tooting where he remains in a serious condition.
A female cyclist who was also taking part in the British Heart Foundation event was later airlifted to the same hospital following a collision in Rookery Hill, Outwood, at around 10am.
The woman, in her 30s, suffered head and eye injuries and her condition is currently described as critical.
Lin Wilson, of Rookery Hill, told the Mirror: "I heard the sirens; there was a lot of noise outside. I walked up to see what had happened and there were bikes everywhere.
"They [cyclists] were coming into our driveway and peeing on our driveway. I went up and I spoke to them and they said there had been a terrible accident at the bottom of the hill.
"I would say there were about 3,000 [bikes], you couldn't get a pick between them and the ambulances were coming between them. It was absolute chaos and the worst thing was the marshals were not in communication with each other. They relied on telephones which do not actually work in this area. The person at the bottom of the hill didn't inform the person at the top of hill. When those bikes are coming down the hill eight abreast, the amount that come down, there's nothing you can do for anyone that falls off.
"It's a good charity event but it just needs better organisation on the day."
Thousands of cyclists pour into Surrey for the annual event as they ride the 54 miles from Clapham Common in South London to the seafront in Brighton.
The race raises funds for the British Heart Foundation and this year involved 28,000 riders.
Surrey county councillor for the Outwood area Helena Windsor said: "We will consider whether or not to put something through at a parish level that says it really must be better organised. There were two accidents so I may ask if as a county we want to put something through to say it must be better organised. We have got time to consider carefully."
Louise Parkes, director of fundraising at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said: "Rider safety is of paramount importance to us and we work closely with a health and safety specialist who liaises with the councils and the police to carry out comprehensive safety checks in advance of the ride.
"These checks include a full risk assessment to identify any hazards on the route. Should the authorities deem it necessary to divert the route at any point, we would do so.
"On the day of the ride we have approximately 400 marshals along the route and 18 motorcycle marshals who provide support and deal with any incidents.
"There are also several layers of communications on the route, including radio networks for first aid and emergency cover.
"The reception at Rookery Hill was sufficient for the emergency services and our control room to be contacted at the point of the accident."
Surrey Police is appealing for witnesses to both incidents. If you saw anything call the collision investigation unit on 101 quoting P14172787.
