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Scottish endurance cyclist Christina Mackenzie, who currently holds the women’s records for the North Coast 500 and Land’s End to John O’Groats routes, has suffered a broken pelvis after being struck by a hit-and-run SUV driver.
The incident occurred while Mackenzie was training on the A811 near the Kippen Station roundabout, close to her home in Stirling, at around 5.15pm yesterday evening.
According to a statement posted on her social media accounts, the 45-year-old – who was preparing for this Saturday’s Scottish Veteran Women’s Road Race Championships in Kilmarnock – was knocked off her bike by the driver of a Ford Ranger-style SUV, which was towing a high-sided agricultural trailer.
While trailers can often be a contributing factor towards collisions or close passes – as evidenced on multiple occasions on our Near Miss of the Day series – with careless drivers typically pulling in before the rear of the trailer has passed the cyclist being overtaken, it seems as if Mackenzie was initially struck by an undertaking motorist’s SUV before being “wiped out” by the trailer.
An eyewitness told the Daily Record that, as she approached the Kippen roundabout, Mackenzie indicated to turn right and change lanes. As she started to move across, the eyewitness said that the SUV driver came up the cyclist’s inside, striking her with both the vehicle and trailer before speeding off.
1/2 About 5.15pm last night (27/9) whilst out training on the A811 @christina_mack was knocked off her bike near to Kippen Roundabout by the driver off a Ranger type SUV towing a high sided agricultural type trailer. She’s currently in hospital having sustained a broken pelvis
— Lejogmack 🏴 (@Lejogmack) September 28, 2022
“The driver of the vehicle had attempted to undertake her with the vehicle, initially striking her before the trailer wiped her out completely,” the online statement reads. “The driver of the SUV failed to stop.”
While the driver sped off as the time trial specialist lay injured by the side of the road, one of Mackenzie’s training partners noted that “the following motorists and a bus driver stopped and rendered excellent assistance to Christina before the emergency services arrived.”
Mackenzie suffered a broken pelvis and multiple other injuries in the collision, and is currently being treated in hospital, where she is due to undergo surgery.
> Christina Mackenzie breaks Land’s End to John O’Groats record
A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “We were called around 5.05pm on Tuesday, September 27, to a report of a crash involving a cyclist and a car towing a trailer which failed to stop on the B822 at the Kippen roundabout, Stirling.
“The cyclist, a 45-year-old woman, was taken to Forth Valley Royal Hospital for treatment.
“Enquiries are ongoing to trace the driver and anyone with information that could help, including dash-cam footage, is asked to contact Police Scotland.”
Eyewitnesses or anyone with information have been told to contact police on 101, quoting incident number 2444 of Tuesday, September 27.
> Christina Mackenzie sets new women’s North Coast 500 record
Yesterday’s horror crash has scuppered the end to what has been a sensational year for the Scottish endurance athlete. In May, Mackenzie set a new women’s solo record for the famous North Coast 500, covering the 516-mile route in 36 hours, 39 minutes and seven seconds.
In August she became Scottish 100-mile time trial champion and at the start of this month took her second British 12-hour championship, recording 263 miles on the Monmouthshire course.
The Stirling Bike Club rider’s impressive season built on an equally successful 2021, which featured perhaps her defining achievement to date: smashing the 19-year-old Land’s End to John O’Groats female record by an hour and half, covering the length of Great Britain in 51 hours, five minutes and 27 seconds.
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