Bloody hell for biker Branson
Richard Branson was left bruised and bloodied after a nasty fall from his bike in the Caribbean over the weekend.
Branson, 73, who has a net worth estimated by Forbes to be just shy of $3 billion and resides in the British Virgin Islands, was pictured on Instagram with a nasty bruise on his left arm.
“Took quite a big tumble while cycling in Virgin Gorda a little while ago,” the Virgin empire founder wrote on the platform Sunday. “I hit a pothole and crashed hard, resulting in another hematoma on my hip and a nasty cut elbow, but amazingly nothing broken.”
Branson is pictured in the photo alongside a man he identified as Alex Wilson, who is shown holding a bandage to his bloodstreaked face.
Wilson “fell after me,” according to Branson, “but thankfully he was OK as well.”
The mogul seemed to shake off the incident.
“I’m counting myself very lucky, and thankful for keeping myself active and healthy,” Branson wrote. “After all, the brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all.”
The adventurous entrepreneur has had several frightening bicycle incidents.
In November 2021, he fell off his bike during an endurance race, resulting in several cuts and bruises on his elbow as well as a hematoma on his leg.
Branson, who said at the time there was “no question” wearing a helmet saved his life, reported that he “slammed” into concrete after he tried to hit the brakes, but they “didn’t respond.”
In 2016, Branson was involved in another highspeed crash when he slammed headfirst onto the pavement while cycling with his two children on the British Virgin Islands.
“I really thought I was going to die,” he said at the time.
“I went flying headfirst towards the concrete road, but fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life.”
Branson, whose conglomerate includes Virgin Atlantic Airways, is competing with fellow billionaires Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos in the race to shuttle tourists into space with his Virgin Galactic.