Freddie Flintoff has revealed he had to seek medical help when his penis went numb during a charity bike ride.
The Top Gear presenter was left worried after his genitals felt “like a dead fish” three days into the 28-day cycle from Athens to London.
Recalling the encounter in his new memoir Right, Said Fred (via The Sun), the former cricketer wrote: “It just suddenly went numb, as if I’d trapped it in a door. It was like a dead fish.
“I said to the medic: ‘Doc, I’m afraid you’re going to have to have a look at my old fella, I can’t feel it’. He took a look and was quite blasé, ‘Oh, that’s quite common in cyclists.’”
Freddie said he was “taken aback” by the doctor’s reaction, explaining he was told it “was to do with something called the penile nerve” and was quite common among cyclists.
There are two types of nerve in the penis – the pudendal nerves, which allow you to feel sensation, while the cavernous nerves supply the erectile tissue.
Sometimes the nerves can become blocked, meaning blood can struggle to reach the penis.
Freddie added that his “old fella only started to resurrect itself about three days after I arrived in London”.
He and former rugby player Lawrence Dallaglio completed the 2,872-mile Cycle Slam back in 2012, raising £2 million for charity.
They are set to get on their bikes for the event once again in 2021, this time cycling through Spain and Portugal.