Anger after death crash cyclist was 'killed by pothole' The best friend of a fun-loving cyclist who died after falling from his bicycle has hit out after telling how he was 'killed by a pothole'. Christian Brown, 40, sustained serious head injuries when he came off his bicycle while riding along an A-road in Lincolnshire on February 12. He had been in a critical condition in the intensive care unit at Hull Royal Infirmary, where he underwent surgery on his head injuries, but tragically died on Monday. A 'fantastic character': Nigel Chudley paid tribute to cyclist friend Christian Brown, who was killed when he cycled into a pothole and was thrown from his bicycle Mr Brown, who was wearing a helmet, was riding with a group of cyclists on the A631 at North Willingham when he fell off his bicycle. A spokesman for Lincolnshire Police said: 'Investigations are ongoing but clearly there is an issue surrounding a pothole in the road being a potential cause of the crash.' A pothole on the A631 was repaired by Lincolnshire County Council after it was reported by police. Mr Brown's best friend, Nigel Chudley, hit out at the state of the country's roads as he paid tribute to the 'fantastic character'. No matter what was going on in life, Chris always had a smile on his face and was there to cheer you up. Just two hours before his crash, Mr Brown tweeted that he was looking forward to eating an ice cream at the seaside town of Mablethorpe. He wrote: 'Nice day at Mablethorpe today only thing is we're gonna bike there hope I get to have an ice cream and some candyfloss'. Committed: Mr Brown belonged to the Lincsquad cycling club Mr Chudley, 50, who lived opposite his pal in the town of Kirton-in-Lindsey in north Lincolnshire, added that attention had to be paid to the poor state of the roads in Lincolnshire. He said: 'If this isn't a wake-up call to the authorities then I don't know what is. 'The road the group were riding along is 40mph, but someone told me they were only doing about 17mph at the time of Chris' fall.' 'I heard that one of the group shouted 'Pothole!' but Chris saw it too late and went straight into it. Chris was riding a very light carbon fibre bike, so you can imagine the force of the pothole to be so powerful that the bike would just disintegrate and Chris would be propelled off of it. We have complained about the potholes in this area around 26 times in the last six months, and still nothing has been done. He added: 'He was a fantastic character. He was like a brother to me. 'Him and I have been friends for about ten years, and we've been through thick and thin together. 'He'd been with his girlfriend Becki for about two months, and I could tell he was smitten with her. They were due to move in together soon. I saw him on the morning of the accident at about 8.30am. He popped round for a cup of coffee before meeting with his biking friends. That was the last I saw of him. Nigel first got to know Mr Brown after both took an interest in Volkswagen cars and kept in contact with each other, meeting up on regular occasions. Mr Brown, who worked as a maintenance fitter, moved opposite Nigel about two years ago and they saw each other four to five times a week. Chris was the kind of bloke to ring your doorbell for ages, come in anyway and grab a beer out of the fridge without asking. Sunny: Christian Brown tweeted just hours before the incident: 'Nice day at Mablethorpe today only thing is we're gonna bike there hope I get to have an ice cream and some candyfloss' He could pop round at any time, and we did everything together. It's such a sad loss.' Mr Brown was a member of Lincsquad, a group of bicycle fanatics based in Lincolnshire. He had been a member for 18 months and had recently taken up the role of Membership Secretary. Tributes were left on the group website by friends and other group members. Paul Carvill wrote: 'Rest in Peace my friend, you will be truly missed!' Experienced: Mr Brown was an avid cyclist who had been wearing a helmet at the time of the incident Tony Hopkins said: 'Such sad news. Cycle in peace Christian. Debbie Arthur, 49, Mr Brown's neighbour, said: 'It's so tragic, and an awful time for his friends and family. The pothole situation is horrible. We have lots of potholes around this area and have been complaining about them for months. 'It shouldn't take an accident for someone to take notice of the potholes.' Another neighbour added: 'To hear that a pothole on the road has been filled in before the investigation has finished is disgraceful. The council should have left the hole alone for the investigation to be properly done. Public roads are maintained by the highways department at Lincolnshire County Council - it has a statutory duty to maintain and repair the highway so it is safe for traffic. Alan Aistrup, head of highways for the council, said they had no reports of potholes on the road up to 12 February. He said: 'Our records show that we have had no reports of potholes in that location, and the general condition of the A631 in this locality is very good. However, this is an on-going investigation by Lincolnshire Police and we will continue to work closely with them to assist their enquiries regarding this unfortunate incident. I feel it would therefore be inappropriate to comment any further at this time. An inquest into Mr Brown's death has been opened and adjourned. Potholes are created by water seeping through the road surface via cracks caused by traffic. As temperatures drop the water freezes, expanding as ice, which pushes the tarmac upwards and ruptures the surface. When the ice melts, it then leaves a void below the surface, which caves in under the stress of vehicles and forms a pothole. The council relies on the public to report potholes by calling 01522 782070.