US President George W Bush may be the most powerful man on Earth but that doesn’t make him immune from accidents. He was out on a 17-mile MTB ride on his Texas ranch when he fell off, grazing his chin, upper lip, nose, right hand and both knees. Fortunately, as well as the military aide and Secret Service personnel riding with him was his doctor, Dr Richard Tubb, who cleaned him up. Bush finished the ride without further incident. A spokesman said, “It’s been raining a lot recently and the topsoil is loose.”

It just shows how competitive the race for the White House is getting. It’s only a couple of weeks since Democratic candidate John Kerry came off his Serotta in Concord, Massachusetts when he hit a patch of sand on the road.

And if any Stateside political correspondents are reading, we’d love someone to ask, “What tyres for Texan topsoil?” at the next White House press briefing…

More details on, ooh, all news sites, probably.