A bike shop has come to the rescue of a would-be Ironman whose £3,700-bike was destroyed when his wife drove it into a height restriction bar.
Steve Houghton, from Walsingham Gardens, Stoneleigh, was left "heartbroken" when his bike, on the roof of their car, smashed into a height restriction bar.
Mr Houghton is training for a gruelling Ironman triathlon in the summer to raise money for a charity tackling a life-threatening disease, which affects his six-year-old relative.
Steve Houghton during training
Bearing in mind his charity goals and bad luck, Guy Rowland, owner of Corridori Cycle Sport in Fir Tree Road, Epsom Downs, took pity on him.
Mr Rowland liaised with the UK distributor of De Rosa bikes, I-Ride, in order to cover the cost of the repairs and make sure he can get back to training.
Jenny and Steve Houghton
Mr Houghton’s wife Jenny said: "It’s amazing they have supported him so he can get back on his bike to train.
"It is very rare you see an example of a retailer showing such levels of empathy and showing that their customers are more important to them than their bottom line.
"Guy could have achieved at least £2,500 in parts to rebuild Steve's bike but instead tried to find a different solution."
On Sunday, March 9, Mrs Houghton picked up her husband and put his bike on the roof of their car in a lay-by in the Leatherhead By-Pass (A24).
There were no signs to warn her about the height restriction bar, and she said: "I drove straight through it and cut his bike in half."
Her husband is running the Ironman in Bolton on July 20 to raise awareness about Sanfilippo syndrome. Her cousin’s son, Sammy Watts, 6, was diagnosed with the disease last year.
She said: "It's an utterly heartbreaking as a degenerative disease that means his is unlikely to live past his teenager years and causes both mental and physical disabilities."
Sammy Watts, 6, who suffers from Sanfilippo syndrome
Mr Rowland, who was once a successful racing cyclist himself, said: "It was just a goodwill gesture. It was a bike that he had bought from us not long ago.
"I know how important it is to get up and going again."
Mr Houghton is raising money for the Society For Mucopolysaccharide Diseases (the MPS Society).
It supports people affected by MPS and related diseases and funds research into treatment and therapies.
Sponsor him at www.justgiving.com/Steve-Houghton19.
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