Durban cyclist struck with wire on M4 ride shares his ordeal
Tony Swanepoel suffered a shattered collarbone, punctured lung and broken ribs while on a training ride with a friend on the M4. Tony Swanepoel suffered a shattered collarbone, punctured lung and broken ribs while on a training ride with a friend on the M4.
DURBAN - Tony Swanepoel remembers seeing a wire being flung across his arm and then the blue sky above before he lost consciousness.
The 59-year-old was on a training ride on the M4 for the upcoming Tsogo Sun Amashova Cycle Race this month when he was caught by a wire he suspected was thrown by a young man from the side of road. Swanepoel flew off his bike and fell into the road, suffering serious injuries.
Swanepoel said this week he and a friend, Hennie Steyn, had cycled from the beachfront to Ballito on September 4 and were on the return trip to Durban at about 9.30am.
They were at the traffic circle after the Westbrook Circle on the M4.
“The wind was behind us and it was a good morning for a ride all I remember was suddenly seeing the wire come across my arm, then the blue sky above and then I was out,” said Swanepoel, who had been looking forward to competing in his 14th Amashova.
He was unconscious for 20 minutes as Steyn pulled him from the road and another driver stopped to help.
“While the wire caught my arm, all the serious damage was done when I hit the road. I broke my collarbone, had a collapsed lung and broke four ribs,” said Swanepoel, adding that he had been riding that route for the past 15 years.
Steyn, who was riding behind Swanepoel, said: “I saw the wire come past my face and then we went down. I only had a few scratches.
“I saw this guy standing about 10m away, but my concern was for Tony; he went lights out immediately.
“The wire came across his arm and it was wrapped around his bike and the handlebars. Thank God, there were no cars behind us because they would have gone directly over him.”
Swanepoel and Steyn are tug masters in the port where Steyn completed a first-aid course. “When it came to moving Tony off the road, that (first aid) really came in handy,” said Steyn.
Swanepoel spent five days in intensive care - his shattered collarbone required a plate and 11 screws. His injuries have taken weeks of recovery and he’s now back home.
“I was just getting to a nice level of fitness, so I’ll have to start again. I’ll be looking to ride the race again next year and I’m hoping to start training in January.
“The danger is the plate in my collar bone. Cyclists have been cycling that road for many years and this is the first incident that I remember,” he said.
Steyn, who took up cycling a year ago, was continuing to train for his first Amashova this year.
East Coast Cycling Club chairperson Daryl Harris said: “This is the first such incident we have heard about. We have put out an alert with the bike shops and cycling community and have advised that no one should ride alone.”
Police spokesperson Captain Nqobile Gwala confirmed a case of assault with grievous bodily harm had been opened at the Tongaat police station.