Sad news indeed as one of the biggest characters in the bike trade lies in a critical condition in hospital. Exact details are a bit thin on the ground at the moment, but Orange have released the following statement on their Facebook page.

On Sunday, Michael Bonney, the lynchpin in all that is Orange, had a terrible accident whilst road cycling during the Eden Valley Epic. No vehicles were involved. He was airlifted to Newcastle hospital where he remains in a very critical condition. As most of you will be aware, Michael is an extremely popular person with huge amount of friends, and its impossible to pass on this news individually. Linzi has already been inundated with best wishes and its impossible for her to reply individually, so as he is a big advocate to social media, and after speaking with Linzi, we will keep you up-to-date through our Facebook page.

Our thoughts are with Michael and all his family, and we wish him a super speedy and full recovery.