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16th Feb 2022

Jeremy Vine rushed to hospital after falling off his penny-farthing

Kieran Galpin

Vine’s glasses were smashed in the accident

Jeremy Vine was rushed to hospital following a bike accident that happened over the weekend.

The TV host fell off his penny-farthing and was knocked unconscious. The 56-year-old is now recovering from the accident and showcased his black eye during his show on February 16.

https://twitter.com/Knewz_Currently/status/1493960750271922176

Vine opened up about the incident on his show, he said: “I didn’t see the divot, my front wheel went into it and I went over the handlebars and landed on my head.

“The one thing is, there aren’t really any brakes so you need to step off it to stop. You need to go very slowly and predict lights and stuff, you’ve got to work out when lights are changing and be prepared to dismount.”

https://twitter.com/JeremyVineOn5/status/1493902322531016706?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1493902322531016706%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.lbc.co.uk%2Fnews%2Fuk%2Fjeremy-vine-hospital-penny-farthing%2F

Speaking to Chiswick Calendar, the media veteran said: “I go about five miles an hour, I go very slowly, and it’s amazing.

“Mounting and dismounting is the key thing. Once you’re on it, it’s like riding a normal bike as long as you don’t look down. Mounting and dismount involves basically pushing it, letting it have its own momentum and then climbing up the back.

“There’s two very small steps on the back of it and so you climb onto the saddle as it’s rolling forward. You can’t mount it pushing uphill for example as it needs that bit of momentum.”

Hospital staff told Vine that they had never before written: “riding a penny-farthing” as a reason for an injury. Doctors fully checked over Vine, giving him a brain and spine scan as well as checking on his heart.

Viewers online were divided on whether Vine should continue to ride the unique bike, with some suggesting it might be better to opt for a regular bike while in the UK’s busiest city.

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