Shropshire racing cyclist left paralysed after crash

Ade Billington, who rode for Wrekin Sports cycle club, received multiple injuries including a broken back during a collision with a car.

He is now recovering at Gobowen Hospital, having been airlifted home from Spain.

At one stage Mr Billington, of North Street, Wellington, had to have his heart re-started with adrenaline, and was receiving 100 per cent oxygen due to injuries to his lungs.

The 52-year-old's back was broken in two places, both collarbones were broken and he also suffered fractured ribs and a punctured lung.

Cyclists from across Shropshire took part in a competition earlier this month to raise money for Mr Billington, who had been a member of Wrekin Sports for around six years.

Mr Billington's wife Tracey said her husband would need to be kept in hospital until September at the earliest.

"He's in good spirits," she said.

"He's hoping he will get a hand cycle, so he is being positive with respect to that."

She praised the cycling community in Shropshire for their support.

"Everybody has been really good, they've all been asking after Ade and about me, which is very kind of them."

Mrs Billington said the club was on a cycling holiday in Majorca when the crash happened at Easter.

"He was following a car down a deep descent when the car in front just stopped," she said.

"On a push-bike you can't just stop that quickly, and he ran into the back of the car.

"Three ambulances turned up to take him to a private hospital, and he was airlifted back to the UK over a month later."

He then spent four weeks at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham before being transferred to the Gobowen. Mrs Billington said his injuries would force him to give up his job as an overhead line worker for Network Rail.

She added: "We both took up cycling at the same time and then, around two years later, we decided to join Wrekin Sport as we progressed.

"All the cycling clubs in Shropshire help each other out, and they have been really good to us."

Nick Jeggo, of Newport Shropshire Cycling Club, said Mr Billington was a very well known figure in the Shropshire cycling community.

Dave Fletcher, of the Shropshire Cycling Clubs Association said last week's event had raised between £280 to £300.

"We were originally thinking of getting him a laptop, tablet or similar to help communication," he said.

"However, he has since been talking about a handbike showing his character which would be several thousand pounds, hence we are looking for further donations and thinking about possible future ways of fundraising."

Mr Fletcher said the accident happened after the group had been to Soller in the north of the island for lunch.

"You have two choices to get out, either over the top of the island to its highest point, the Puig Major, or over the Col de Soller, around 100 hairpin bends to come back through the flat centre of the island.

"The accident happened on the Col de Soller. I understand a car stopped and was turning into one of those panoramic views and Ade couldn't brake in time. He went through the back window. He was in hospital in Majorca for quite a while in an induced coma."