Coach suffers brain injury

London - The British cycling team's head coach suffered bleeding on the brain in a road accident on Thursday, the team said, just a day after Tour de France champion Bradley Wiggins was also injured in a crash.

Shane Sutton was "involved in an incident this morning on the A6 near Levenshulme in Manchester" in northwest England, British Cycling said in a statement.

"Shane was taken into hospital where it was identified he has suffered bruising and bleeding on the brain. Shane was wearing a helmet.

"He is set to undergo more tests, and is likely to stay in hospital for the next few days."

Australia-born Sutton, 55, led Britain's cycling team to a string of medals at the London 2012 Olympics, including gold for Wiggins in the time-trial.

Wiggins suffered broken ribs and a wrist injury in a separate accident on Wednesday in which his bike was hit by a car believed to have pulled out of a petrol station near his family home in Eccleston, also northwest England.

Governing body British Cycling called on the government to improve conditions for cyclists.

"It is extremely rare that our riders and coaches are hurt while out cycling on the road, even rarer that two incidents should occur in a short space of time, and we wish Shane and Bradley a speedy recovery," it said.

"Cycling is not an intrinsically dangerous activity but there is much more to be done to improve conditions for cyclists on the roads.

"British Cycling is calling on the government to put cycling at the heart of transport policy to ensure that cycle safety is built into the design of all new roads, junctions and transport projects, rather than being an afterthought."