A FIREFIGHTER has sustained serious injuries after a colliding with a car while cycling near a Yorkshire Dales village on what will be the Tour de France’s opening stage.

The 48-year-old from the Bradford area had been riding with colleagues on Carpley Green Road, near Bainbridge, in Wensleydale on Saturday (April 5), when he collided with a silver Vauxhall Corsa shortly after 2pm.

The Great North Air Ambulance (GNNA) anaesthetised the man at the scene before he was taken to the James Cook University Hospital, in Middlesbrough for treatment for severe spinal, pelvic, chest and internal injuries. A GNNA spokesman said the firefighter was in a stable condition.

North Yorkshire Police closed the lane, which links Wharfedale and Wensleydale, for several hours and launched an investigation into the incident.

Anyone who saw the car or the cyclist before the incident should call PC Simon Hudson on 101.