It’s every male rider’s worst nightmare: you crash and go over the bars, but the family jewels hit the stem - and stay there. That’s what happened to a teenager in China, but thanks to quick intervention by a passer-by and some skilled surgeons, he has been restored to wholeness.

Xiao Pan, 19, was riding his bike on a farm when he crashed into a tree. He was thrown forward by the impact and caught his scrotum on the handlebars, tearing his testicles from his body, according to a report on Metro.

A police spokesman said: “He was on a slope, the bike was gaining speed and when he applied the brakes, they didn’t work. He smashed directly into the tree.”

Surgeons took nine hours to reattach the teenager’s testicles, which were retrieved by emergency services after the alarm was raised.

Motorist Lo Feng, 45, said: “I rushed down to him and he was in a bad way. He pointed to this blood clump and said: ‘My balls, rescue my balls.’”

“I didn’t touch them, I just staunched his blood flow and called for the medics on my mobile.

“I pointed out what he had said when they arrived and they picked them up and placed them in a box of ice.”

Mr Pan is reported to be in a stable condition. He expected to be sexually functional when he recovers, but it’s not yet known whether his fertility will be affected.