A MOUNTAIN biker had to be airlifted from the North York Moors after injuring himself when he came off his bike yesterday (Saturday).

The 50-year-old, from the Northallerton area, was flown in a RAF Sea King helicopter to Middlesbrough’s James Cook University Hospital but difficult weather conditions meant he was transferred to the accident and emergency unit at Leeds General Infirmary.

Members of the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team, who were involved in a two day casualty care training programme on the moors, received a call from the North Yorkshire Ambulance Service to go to the aid of the injured mountain biker at Cod Beck above Osmotherley at 11.35am.

The man had been coming down one of the tracks on the moor when he had fallen off his bike.

North Yorkshire road Ambulance paramedics were first on scene and called for assistance from the Great North Air Ambulance but due to fog in the Teesside area the helicopter was unable to take off so the RAF Sea King helicopter was scrambled.

The mountain rescue volunteers were on hand to carry the injured man to waiting helicopter.

Malcolm Selby, leader of the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Service, said: “This was a multi-agency rescue in which the Yorkshire Ambulance Service, the RAF Sea King and the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team all worked together to get the injured biker off the moor and to hospital as quickly as possible.

“When the call out came through we stopped the training programme in order to go to the assistance of the mountain biker.

"We had 26 team members involved in the incident. They provided casualty care to the biker, stopped traffic movement to ensure a safe landing for the Sea King helicopter and carried the biker off the moor and on to the aircraft as quickly as possible.”