A 61-YEAR-OLD mountain bike rider suffered back and neck injuries after falling from his cycle.

The Great North Air Ambulance was called to assist the Cleveland Mountain Rescue team with the victim who fell while riding in woodland near Guisborough, East Cleveland.

The Northern Echo:

The man is treated by the Mountain Rescue Team at the scene. Photo: Cleveland Mountain Rescue

The incident happened at 2.30pm on Thursday.

The drama began when the local man lost control of his mountain bike while cycling with friends on one of the tracks in Guisborough Forest.

He was injured when he hit the ground heavily.

Fortunately, he was wearing a helmet that and it is believed it saved him from potentially more serious damage.

The Mountain Rescue team brought in one of their LandRover ambulances and were able to drive the two miles along forest tracks to reach the injured man.

They were guided to the scene by one of the injured man’s friends who had cycled to Hutton Village to meet the team.

Members of the Team treated the injured man at the scene before carrying him 100m to the Great North Air Ambulance who flew him to James Cook University Hospital for treatment.

The injuries were said to be non life-threatening and the man arrived in a stable condition.

Team spokesman, Pete Mounsey said: “We were glad to be able to use our training and specialised equipment to help the injured cyclist who was a long way from the nearest road."