Opposition Leader Angus Taylor has been left bruised, battered and missing a little skin after taking a spectacular tumble from his bike during a gruelling 1000km charity ride through Queensland.
The Liberal leader hit the deck while taking part in the annual Pollie Pedal, but despite nursing a painful case of gravel rash, he was quick to get back in the saddle and continue the eight-day challenge.
Speaking to Sunrise on Tuesday morning, Taylor admitted he was feeling every bit of the fall.
“Yeah, not too bad. I think it’s more the wear and tear on my muscles than the skin that’s gone on my hip,” he said. “But everything’s pretty sore at this moment.”
Asked which part of him was hurting most, the 59-year-old offered a rather comprehensive diagnosis. “Everything, Matt. Everything.”
Footage of the incident shows Taylor suddenly coming unstuck and crashing heavily onto the road.
The experienced cyclist said the accident happened so quickly he barely had time to consider whether he might have suffered a serious injury.
“I didn’t really know, it happened so fast,” he said. “I mean, it’s not the first bike crash I’ve had. I’ve been riding for many, many years, so I’ve had some worse ones than that.
“But it’s never fun. And you just get back up and go again. You get back up and go again. So that’s what I did.”
Taylor even found room for a political gag after his encounter with the bitumen, joking: “And I’m not in denial about falling off my bike either. So important to fess up.”
The Opposition Leader is four days into the Pollie Pedal, which began in Toowoomba and will see riders cover about 1000km across eight days.
This year’s event is raising money for Wandering Warriors, an organisation supporting Australian Special Forces veterans and their families as they transition from military service into civilian life.
Taylor said the discomfort of the ride was well worth enduring for the people it was helping. “It’s a real privilege,” he said. “It’s great to be able to support a group of people who are prepared to fight for our country, have been prepared to fight for our country.”
Pollie Pedal dates back to 1998 and has raised around $7.6 million for charitable causes over the years, with veterans becoming a major focus of its fundraising efforts.
And while Taylor may have lost some skin in Queensland, the crash clearly hasn’t taken away his appetite for the challenge.
With another four days of riding still ahead, however, getting back in the saddle could prove considerably easier than getting comfortable in it.
