A father-and-daughter disabled team crashed out of the triathlon at the weekend, but said they would still not have missed the experience.

Stephan Couture broke a rib while his 13-year-old daughter Chloe, who has cerebral palsy, suffered minor injuries when their Team Ladybugs bike and wheelchair combination went out of control after a puncture.

However, Mr Couture said: “We would just like to say a big thank you to everybody in Bermuda; it’s been an amazing experience.”

“Everywhere we have been people have asked us questions ... it’s been an absolutely amazing adventure for us. I’m so glad we came. The island is so welcoming.”

Mr Couture and Chloe travelled 3,500 miles from their home in Warwickshire, England, to compete in the event.

Unfortunately, the special competition wheelchair and bike, which cost $18,000, will have to be written off.

Mr Couture explained: “I got a puncture and the bike went from under me and sadly, once I lost the bike, the bike went one way and the chair turned the other way.”

He said: “For the injuries we have compared to the damage that has been done, it’s quite remarkable how we haven’t got more injuries.”

Mr Couture added that courageous Chloe was undeterred by the accident and wanted to continue the race.

“She said, ‘Dad, Dad, race. Dada go’,” he said.

He added that Chloe had bounced back from the accident and danced at the triathlon party on Saturday night.

Mr Couture said that, despite the accident on Park Road in Hamilton, the team had met one of its objectives.

He added: “We are trying to raise awareness for other disabled people to participate. We would love more people with disabilities, slight or severe, to be given a chance.

“Participation with able-bodied athletes is fantastic. It helps disabled people. It can help with anxiety, depression.”

Mr Couture and his wife, Diane, who have both worked with disabled people, adopted Chloe when she was 5 after they read about her in a church bulletin.

Mr Couture said Team Ladybugs had received a lot of support in Bermuda, particularly from people with disabled relatives.

He added: “It’s such a wonderful feeling knowing that you have done something that changes someone’s life.”

It was the first major accident for Team Ladybugs, which has competed for nine years.

Mr Couture said that Chloe already missed the wheelchair — named DD1 for Daddy Daughter 1 — and had asked where it was.

He added: “It’s the only one of its kind. We would have to have another one built. That style of chair is the only one in the world that goes behind the bike.”

Mr Couture thinks it will be unsafe to attempt to repair the badly-damaged wheelchair and bike.

He explained: “My daughter, she is my life, for safety’s sake it’s easier to have a new chair constructed.”

But he added: “It’s immaterial. It can be replaced. The main thing is we did not suffer any serious injuries.”

He will make phone calls when he gets back to England to see what can be done to replace the combination.

Mr Couture added that Team Ladybugs welcomed sponsorship or donations.

He said: “If anybody could help we would dearly love it. We would really, really appreciate it.”

The team had earlier decided against travel to a triathlon in Japan next month after they were told transportation of their equipment could cost $8,000.

The trip to Bermuda was sponsored by Massachusetts General Hospital, Hamilton Princess and Beach Club and British Airways.

He added “We are so grateful to them all. That’s why we were here, to be able to race.”

He hopes to have recovered from his injuries and get back to competition in six to eight weeks.

Mr Couture also hopes to raise funds to buy a special wheelchair used for cross-country events for the use of disabled people in Bermuda.