/ 3 July 2008

Biker Bush vows to stay in saddle at G8

United States President George Bush has vowed not to repeat one of his previous mistakes as he heads to his last Group of Eight (G8) summit — he will try not to fall off his mountain bike.

The president said he was packing his bike for the three-day summit in the northern Japanese town of Toyako, a secluded hillside resort overlooking a scenic lake.

“I’m looking forward to it. I think they’ve got some beautiful trails,” Bush told Japan’s Fuji Television in an interview broadcast on Thursday.

“I’ve just got to be careful not to fall off,” he said.

Bush was left red-faced but not badly hurt when he collided with a local police officer at the G8 summit in 2005 in Gleneagles, Scotland.

He also suffered cuts and bruises in 2004 when he crashed his bike at his Texas ranch. In 2003, he came a cropper on a Segway stand-on scooter.

Bush, who is expected to arrive in Japan on Sunday, his 62nd birthday, is known for his passion for mountain biking. — AFP