British pro cyclist Seb Grindley broke his neck in a huge crash at the British National Road Championships last week.
A large crash after about an hour of the elite road race split the field and ended the race for many. Grindley of Lidl-Trek Future Racing and Thomas Gloag (Visma-Lease a Bike) were among those affected. The race was not officially neutralised, despite the road being blocked by the crash for minutes on a narrow Welsh road, with the front group continuing to push on.
However, little was known about the incident itself, beyond the fact it caused dozens to leave the race, and that the road was blocked. According to Grindley, he was the first to go down, after he hit a pothole; he apologised for others he impacted.
Posting on Instagram, the 19-year-old wrote: "I wanted to share an update following the National Championships Road Race on Sunday. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned despite the strong form I had shown from 4th in the TT a few days earlier. Just over an hour into the race, down a twisty lane at over 50kph, mid-bunch, I hit a hole in the road that sent me over the bars. This caused the large crash that many of you have probably seen or heard about.
"First, I want to apologise to everyone affected in the incident. While it was not intentional, I deeply regret that this led to others coming down with me and to those who are injured, I wish a speedy recovery.
"As for my own condition, I’ve sustained a fracture to my C6 vertebra in my neck, along with a fair amount of road rash. This means I’ll be sidelined for the next few months, with my return to racing likely in the 2026 season."
While action continued up the road, with Ineos Grenadiers' Sam Watson taking the win, Grindley was on his way to hospital.
"I’m really grateful to the race medics at the scene, who quickly recognized my condition and stabilised my neck, ensuring I received the best possible care from the start," he wrote.
"Despite this setback, I’m staying positive and grateful, knowing how fortunate I am given the nature of the injury. I’m committed to recovering fully and coming back stronger for a big 2026 road season.
:Thank you all for the support and kind messages."
