ACCIDENTS and bad luck bedevilled Worcester riders as they competed across the United Kingdom.

Stilton RT's Steve Dring was brought crashing to the ground in the season's opening Premier Calendar event in Northamptonshire.

The race attracted the cream of the nations riders and as such was run off at phenomenal speed with old hand, Yorkshire's John Tanner, running out the eventual winner.

Dring required hospital treatment for severe cuts and bruises to his head, legs and arms.

Dring's team mate Gavin Poupart finished a creditable 19th.

The story would have been very different but for two punctures which meant Poupart was forced to waste valuable energy catching up with the leading groups after changing his wheels.

Worcester St John's Cycling Club's Jon Starkey and Jon Newey competed in Evesham Wheelers road race at Harvington.

The race was abandoned at half distance when a horrific crash on a 45mph descent brought a number of riders down.

Two were taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital with a third rider requiring the assistance of the air ambulance.

Injured Steve Dring's brother, Paul, took sixth place in Festival Road Club's 62-mile race in Surrey.

Dring managed to get in the leading break as the race split.

Paul Pickup (Liphook Cycles) escaped in the closing stages with two other riders to take the win with Dring's group sprinting it out for the minor places.

Meanwhile, Gavin Poupart (Stilton RT) decided to tackle the big boys in the Mersey Roads 2-day in North Wales.

Poupart posted an excellent fifth place in the opening one-mile uphill time trial.

In the afternoon's short 30- mile road stage, Poupart missed the five-man break that stayed away to the finish. Yorkshire's Danny Fox took the five-man sprint with the main field 26 seconds back.

A determined Poupart battled it out at the front of the bunch to take eighth on the stage.

The second day's stage was won by Welsh international Julian Winn, with Yorkshire's Kevin Dawson taking a close second.

Poupart came in 14th place, over seven minutes back, with most of the decimated field over eight minutes behind.