Cyclist who thought she’d never get on bike again after being ‘hit by car at 50mph’ says indoor cycling changed her life

A cyclist who thought she would never ride again after being hit by a car and suffering catastrophic injuries in her 20s has said indoor cycling changed her life.

Melissa Power, 39, now a master trainer, said she was cycling over a hill on a dual carriageway in Manchester in 2008 when, “out of nowhere”, a car hit her at speeds of around 50mph as she indicated to change lanes.

Melissa, who now lives in north London, said she was “thrown up in the air” and landed on the bonnet of the car, before managing to crawl to the side of the road, where she collapsed, “covered in blood”, with a suspected broken neck.

For around a year afterwards, Melissa said she was “terrified” to leave her home, she gained around three to four stone, her mental health deteriorated and she thought she would never cycle again.

However, in 2010, she “fell in love” with exercise, losing four stone, and she discovered a newfound passion for indoor cycling, which has led to “stratospheric” growth and a change in career, having worked in radio and TV for years.

“I didn’t think I would get on a bicycle again, which is why I switched to indoor cycling,” she told PA Real Life.

“I missed the cycling, but it probably took me close to a year to start to feel like I could walk again, like I had the confidence to get back out there.

“Never in 100 years would I have thought that I would be doing this as a career, ever.”

Melissa explained that she was never sporty growing up and she “bunked off” PE at school, going to Costa Coffee shops instead.

“I rode a bike at university and that’s how I had my accident,” she said.

“The accident completely changed everything, but before the age of 20, I basically hadn’t been to a gym.”

On the day of the accident, a Sunday in December 2008, after graduating, Melissa recalls cycling along a dual carriageway in Manchester, wearing a “big jumper and coat”.

She explained: “Someone came over the hill so fast that they hadn’t seen that I’d indicated to change lanes, and they drove straight into me – I think it was around 50mph.

“I was thrown up in the air, landed on the bonnet of the car, got thrown off the car into the middle of the road and I remember hearing someone screaming, but then I realised it was me screaming.

“I managed to get to the side of the road, out of the way of the cars, and then I basically just collapsed and started sobbing.

Luckily, Melissa, aged 22 at the time, said an off-duty paramedic was walking near the carriageway and placed her in the recovery position, while others called 999.

Emergency services arrived, cutting her out of her clothing and blue-lighting her to hospital, where it was discovered her right leg was broken and her left wrist was “shattered”.

“My arm just wasn’t working at all and my whole face was completely smashed up… I was covered in blood,” she said.

For months afterwards, she spent the majority of her time lying on the sofa, unable to move, and said the recovery took “months and months”.

“Probably a year after, I wouldn’t go out, I wouldn’t cross the street, I wouldn’t go into busy places,” Melissa said.

“I remember my social life really struggled.

“I think because the accident was so unexpected, I was thinking, probably subconsciously, ‘Wow, anything could happen at any point at any time’.”

Fearful of leaving her home, Melissa said she gained weight – and, seeing those pictures now, she said she can “barely even look at them”.

She soon realised, however, that she wanted to “change how (she) looked completely” and, from 2010, she focused on exercise, nutrition, rehabilitation and physio, and this led to her trying indoor cycling.

“I remember losing weight and how it felt and suddenly realising, ‘I think I’ve discovered I’m good at exercise’,” she said.

Melissa then quit her radio and TV jobs to focus on indoor cycling full time, later launching The MPowered Training Academy in 2018, through which she said she has certified 800 instructors so far.

She said many people are put off by spin classes, as they are “spin-timidating” – a term she has coined after witnessing “dangerous” and intense forms of teaching.

“I’m so passionate about indoor cycling, and there are so many people teaching it incorrectly, giving indoor cycling such a bad name,” she said.

Melissa said she has tried cycling outdoors since the accident, but she “cannot go downhill” any more due to her fears and instead has to push her bike.

She launched her own studio space, Cadence Indoor Cycling, in 2023, where she sees attendees of all ages and abilities, ranging from celebrities and students in their 20s to pregnant women and pensioners.

Speaking about her advice to others, she said be patient, find a form of exercise that is enjoyable and “only do something when it feels right”.

She said: “Looking back, it’s bonkers that the thing that totally destroyed me, the accident, ended up becoming my saviour.”

To find out more, visit melissapower.co.uk or cadenceindoorcycling.co.uk, or search @m.powered on Instagram.