Bradley Wiggins in hospital after road crash

Britain’s Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins is recovering in hospital after being involved in a crash.

The Olympic gold medalist collided with a car while cycling in Wrightington, near to his Eccleston home.

The 32-year-old is believed to have suffered broken ribs as well as hand and wrist bruising, but Team Sky issued a statement confirming that his injuries are not thought to be serious.

“He is being kept in hospital overnight for observation but the injuries he has sustained are not thought to be serious and he is expected to make a full and speedy recovery,” the statement read.

Eye-witnesses have suggested that the car pulled out of a petrol garage forecourt and collided with Wiggins, who revealed last week that he had shaved off his trademark, lucky sideburns.

A Lancashire Police spokesman said: “Police were called to the scene of a road traffic accident at Crow Orchard Road in Wrightington at about 6pm.

“A cyclist has been involved in a collision with a white Vauxhall Astra car. The rider of the bike, a 32-year-old local man, was taken to hospital by ambulance with injuries not thought to be life-threatening. His family have been told.”

Garage attendant Yasmin Smith said: “By the time I got there he had moved to a safer place but was still on the ground and he was in a lot of pain.

“He said he thought he had broken his ribs and while a lot of police cars arrived it was about 15 minutes before the ambulance got there, by which time he was blue.”