Son saves father's life after serious cycling accident

15-year-old Jonathan Allman assists father after he broke 12 ribs and suffered a punctured lung as a result of a cycling accident in Tyneside

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A cyclist who hit a lamppost at 20mph and suffered a multitude of the “worst bike injuries” is, he says, only alive because of his son’s actions.

John Allman, of Shiremoor, North Tyneside, was cycling in nearby Blyth with his 15-year-old son Jonathan in August when his attention was diverted away from the road because of a car passing close by.

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Chris Marshall-Bell

A freelance sports journalist and podcaster, you'll mostly find Chris's byline attached to news scoops, profile interviews and feature writing across a variety of different publications. He has been writing regularly for Cycling Weekly since 2013.


Previously a ski, hiking and cycling guide in a number of places, but mostly in the Canadian Rockies and Spanish Pyrenees, he almost certainly holds the record for the most number of interviews conducted from snowy mountains.


He lives in Valencia, Spain.