Bush's Bicycle Bash
July 9, 2005 @ 1:37 am
The MirrorJuly 8, 2005, Friday
SECTION: 2 Star Edition; NEWS; Pg. 35
LENGTH: 206 words
HEADLINE: I SHOULD ACT MY AGE;
SHAME OF BUSH AFTER CRASHING BIKE INTO COP
BYLINE: BY OONAGH BLACKMAN
HIGHLIGHT:
SCARS'N'STRIPS: The President's bandaged fingers; HARD RIDE: Mr Bush
BODY:
PRANG-PRONE George Bush said it was time he grew up after cycling into a policeman - on his 59th birthday.
The US president's latest mishap came on his mountain bike outside the G8 venue.
Mr Bush, left with cuts to an arm and hand, showed off grazed fingers to reporters and grinned: "It goes to show I should act my age."
The officer had a check-up and returned to duty at the Gleneagles Hotel after Wednesday's accident.
Mr Bush compared his slip to US Tour de France competitor David Zabriskie who crashed in the final moments of Tuesday's stage, but admitted "he's a better rider".
The president blamed a rigorous work-out and damp conditions as he appeared at a press call with Tony Blair.
He said: "When you ride a mountain bike, sometimes you fall, otherwise you are not riding hard. The pavement was slick and the bike came off underneath me."
His concern, he said, was for the Strathclyde officer adding: "I talked to him. He is doing fine."
In May last year, Mr Bush crashed his bike on his ranch. In 2002, he famously fainted and toppled off his sofa in the White House when he choked on a pretzel and in June 2003, he fell off a scooter at his estate in Maine.
o.blackman@ mirror.co.uk
Replies: 2 Comments
I heard about this on NPR a few days ago and I'm still laughing. I don't get it. How could he just ride into the guy like that? Did he not see him?
Noor said on July 10, 2005 @ 1:58 am
I know, it's totally pathetic. It seems like he falls off his bike all the time.
Nick Baker said on July 14, 2005 @ 2:38 pm
