Richard Branson, of Virgin Group, prepares to unfurl a banner during a naming ceremony for the Brightline train station, to be renamed as Virgin MiamiCentral, Thursday, April 4, 2019, in Miami. Picture: AP Photo/Lynne Sladky
Sir Richard Branson is recovering “well” after a “colossal” cycling accident.
The 71-year-old Virgin boss is on the mend after the brakes on his bike failed, causing him to crash into his friend and fellow cycling companion Felix Stellmaszek during the Strive Challenge in the British Virgin Islands.
The entrepreneur shared the update on Instagram, writing in the caption of the video: "Recovering well from a colossal cycling crash. Thankfully we're ok, but some big bumps and bruises!"
Richard had admitted he feared he was about to "drop off the cliff" when his brakes failed.
He wrote on his blog on Wednesday: "I was navigating a steep corner, with a massive cliff drop to my left, a car coming up the hill, and my fellow Striver, Felix Stellmaszek, in front of me passing the car.
“I pulled on both of my brakes, but they didn't respond. I was going faster and faster, with my options being to drop off the cliff, hit the car, or potentially run into Felix.”
The billionaire reflected on how he had made mistakes and called the collision with his pal “hard”.
Richard continued: "I gripped both brakes as tight as I could (later learning I should have tried taking one hand off the brake and then squeezing it again), but they didn't work. I cried out to Felix a warning - 'brakes not working!' - but he had no chance of getting out of the way," he continued. "We crashed - hard."
He attributed his protective gear to making the situation less potentially lethal as he admitted there was “no question that wearing helmet saved” his life.
Richard also noted witnessing - as he and Felix were being taken for medical attention - another car coming round the corner and hitting another vehicle, labelling it “another close shave.”
Listing his injuries, he said he had “severe cuts and bruises” on his elbow, along with “an extraordinarily big bump on my hip and a massive hematoma on my leg.”
However, he knew that he had been lucky, confessing “it could have been so much worse.”
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