Simon Cowell's Electric Bike Cost a Pretty Penny and Could Reach High Speeds

08/10/2020 05:43 pm EDT

The electric bike Simon Cowell was testing when he suffered a serious back injury on Saturday is a very expensive bike that can reach 60 mph. Cowell revealed on Twitter late Sunday night that he did not read the manual before riding the bike for the first time. The America's Got Talent judge will miss Tuesday and Wednesday's live shows as he continues to recover from the accident.

Cowell's bike was not like the typical bike most people use. The former American Idol judge was riding a CAB Recon bike, which is considered "the most powerful electric bicycle on the planet," reports The Sun. It can reach 50 mph in five seconds and can reach a top speed of 60 mph. The bike costs £6,000, or over $7,840.

Cowell was hurt Saturday while testing out his bike in Malibu, California, with Eric, his 6-year-old son with girlfriend Lauren Silverman, and Adam, Silverman's teenage son, watching. He was rushed to the hospital, where he was in surgery for six hours. One source told The Mirror Cowell missed breaking his spinal cord by a centimeter, which would have left him paralyzed. The source said Cowell "fell flat on his back" in the accident. "Simon has broken his back in a number of places in a fall from his bike whilst testing a new electric bike in the courtyard of his home in Malibu with his family," Cowell's representative said Sunday. "He was taken to hospital where they operated overnight (Saturday). He's under observation and is doing fine."

Late Sunday, Cowell broke his silence on Twitter to share some "good advice," which was to read the manual before riding an electric bike for the first time. " I have broken part of my back. Thank you to everyone for your kind messages," Cowell wrote. "And a massive thank you to all the nurses and doctors. Some of the nicest people I have ever met. Stay safe everyone. Simon."

Cowell was originally set to return to the America's Got Talent set to film the first live shows since the show paused its competition due to the coronavirus pandemic. NBC is set to air new live episodes on Tuesday and Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, with Sofia Vergara, Howie Mandel, and Heidi Klum as judges. It is not clear if NBC plans to find a replacement judge at the last moment, although both Vergara and Klm shared the same photo from an outdoor set with only four chairs. "Wishing you a speedy recovery," Klum wrote in her post. "We miss our boss!! Come back fast," Vergara added.

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