A cyclist attempting to ride more than 75,000 miles in a year has broken his ankle after being hit by a moped while out riding, his team has said.

Steve Abraham, who is attempting to beat the 75-year-old record for the longest distance cycled in a year, was said to be left needing an operation after the collision, which happened as he was riding through Somerset.

The news was announced in a series of tweets sent from Abraham’s account. The first appeared at around 11am, reporting an “incident” earlier that morning, but suggesting that his injuries were not serious.

There has been an incident on A38 Steve+bike are fine. Steve is having a well earned sleep at a team members house, will keep you all posted — steve abraham (@steve_abraham74) March 29, 2015

That was followed by three more, posted around 6pm, saying he was more badly hurt than first thought and adding that he may require an operation to aid his recovery.

Extremely sad to announce that aprox 8.10am Steve was ridden into by a moped Steve tried to carry on but stopped in Wellington.Pls next post — steve abraham (@steve_abraham74) March 29, 2015

He was collected by one of the team and taken to hospital.He has 2 broken bones in his ankle and is currently in plaster.See next post — steve abraham (@steve_abraham74) March 29, 2015

is looking highly likely that he will require an operation to have a plate and screws. That is all the information available at the moment — steve abraham (@steve_abraham74) March 29, 2015

Fellow cyclist Chris Hopkinson said he had spoken to Abraham, who was “in fine spirits”. He added that the pair would discuss the options before deciding what to do next.

According to information posted on a tracking website, Abraham was last recorded in the village of Wellington at 8:16am. He had covered more than 25 miles before his accident, having set off in Exeter at around 6am.

On his own website, Abraham has stated that he was running ahead of schedule. It said he had completed 16,860 miles by the end of 29 March, compared to the 14,364 Tommy Godwin had covered by the same date in 1939.

Godwin managed a total of 75,065 miles by the end of the year – a feat no one has bettered since.

Two other men have attempted to break the record this year – William “IronOx” Pruett and Kurt “Tarzan” Searvogel.

Data posted on the website Strava, which is used by athletes to track their performances, suggested that Searvogel was around 1,000 miles behind Abraham, while Pruett has covered less than 15% of the distance cycled by the leading man.

However, it has been reported that his strategy is to save his strength for heavier cycling later in the year.

Speaking to the Guardian last month, the 40-year-old Abraham said of Searvogel: “He’s basically copying what I do, and going one up. I want to see how he reacts when I start to do a few crazy moves.” He was coy, however, when asked to expand on what those moves might be.

Abraham has a team of around 50 helpers taking care of tasks on his behalf, such as preparing food. It is believed one of them posted the tweets on Sunday.

He has been described by his fans as a modest character, who embodies the spirit of the Audax cycling circuit of which he is a part.

The record he is chasing is reportedly the oldest in cycling. After setting it, Godwin had to spend time learning to walk again, before joining the RAF. The world had changed around him as he cycled and, by the time he finished at the end of 1939, Britain and Germany had gone to war.