only slight injuries after a 100-mile ride turned to near disaster on Boxing Day.

The pair were riding along North Shore Road near Pembroke West School when they were in collision with a young boy who rode into their path from a side road. And while neither cyclist needed hospital treatment their bikes sustained damage. Hopkins had his frame broken while Hubbard's forks were bent.

"It was some over-exuberant child on a bike who came straight out of a blind road,'' Hopkins said of the youngster who disappeared almost as fast as he appeared.

"We both went completely over the handlebars and landed on our heads, shoulders and then backs. Quite a few people were around and when we came to our senses the child was gone.

"We're glad the injuries were relatively slight, particularly with Elliott going back to France in January.'' The pair reported the accident to Police, though Hopkins said he still has not heard whether the child was hurt.

"If we had been a car he would have been killed,'' Hopkins said. "If he learned a lesson, that's the most important thing. We were required to report it to Police by law, plus we were concerned about what happened to him,'' said Hopkins, a policeman himself. "We really wish we had a chance to speak to him.'' The pair had completed 93 of the 100 miles when the accident occurred and were on their way back to South Shore to join up with the other riders.

On Tuesday, after replacing the frame (his wife Mary owns a cycle shop) Hopkins and Hubbard were back on the road yesterday for a 45-mile ride, none the worse for their experience.