Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California.

British billionaire Richard Branson is planning to attempt a charity tandem swim together with popular American actor Adrian Grenier across the 3.2 km Strait of Messina in Italy in late September.

But Branson’s preparation may be now in question due to a head-first, high-speed cycling crash on the British Virgin Islands.

While cycling down the hills of Virgin Gorda as part of his training for the upcoming Virgin Strive Challenge, Branson crashed and ended up with a cracked cheek, numerous lacerations and torn ligaments.

He told the British press, “I really thought I was going to die. I went flying head-first towards the concrete road, but fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life.”

But the adventurer and visionary behind the Virgin brand still intends to carry on with his Virgin Strive Challenge next month.

Branson and Grenier, an actor best known for Entourage and The Devil Wears Prada, still plan to attempt a crossing of the Strait of Messina as part of the Strive Challenge.

Branson and Grenier will attempt to cross the Strait of Messina from mainland Italy to Sicily which is rare for a single crossing of the Strait of Messina; a vast majority of swimmers swim in the other direction due to the local tidal flows and current directions.

For more information and details of the history of swimming across the Strait of Messina, visit here.

For individual swim crossing records across the Strait of Messina in various strokes, visit here.

Copyright © 2016 by World Open Water Swimming Association