Randy Parker says if it weren’t for his friend and bicycling teammate Doug Emberton, his injuries could have been much worse.

GATESVILLE--(June 13,2012)-- A friendly bike tour in Gatesville took a turn for the worse this weekend, when a cyclist from Copperas Cove crashed and was airlifted to Scott and White hospital in Temple.

Randy Parker, the cyclist involved in the wreck, said if it hadn't been for his teammate and friend, Doug Emberton, his injuries could have been much worse.

"He was my guardian angel that Saturday morning," Randy said.

Riding with "Team Roadkill" from Copperas Cove, Parker and Emberton set off in the Gatesville 100k Fire Ant Bike Tour, when the tour took a turn around the 7th mile that would change their friendship forever.

"I saw a sign that said low water crossing and it had water in it as well as algae. I was like, 'this is going to be a rough one,'" Parkersaid.

The man lost control of his bike and crashed hard, but came around when he heard the voice of a familiar teammate.

"I usually am in the front somewhere, but that day fortunately I was in the back," Emberton said.

Doug, who just so happens to be an EMT, stopped at the beginning of the tour to check his route on his phone.

Fortunately, this put Doug right behind Randy.

When Doug saw the wreck, he got off his bike and went to work.

"Doug took control of the situation and said 'hold his head' and 'keep him stable'," Randy said.

Looking back, Emberton sees now that his delay had a deeper purpose.

"That day, I guess it was meant for me to be there to try and help out the best I could because if I was in the front, I wouldn't have known about the wreck until the rest stop," Doug said.

6 broken ribs, a fractured pelvis, and a partially collapsed lung later, Randy says he's eager to once again get back on the bike with his teammate for their next race.

"I told him he may be in a recumbent or we'll just pull him in a wheelchair. We might just do the 5k kid race...but we're going to be there," Doug said.

When Randy called News 10 about the interview, he said the only thing he regretted about the accident was not getting his post-race meal--a Chocolate Extreme Blizzard from Dairy Queen.

Our reporter stopped and picked up the treat for Parker as a way of saying "get well soon."