US President George W. Bush fell off a mountain bike in an early Saturday afternoon ride on his ranch, suffering minor cuts and bruises, a White House spokesman said.

Bush was on the 16th mile (25 kilometers) of a 17-mile (27 kilometers) ride at his ranch at Crawford, Texas, when he toppled over while riding downhill, Trent Duffy said.

"He had minor abrasions and scratches on his chin, upper lip, nose, right hand and both knees," Duffy said, adding that a doctor accompanying him cleaned his scratches. Bush declined an offer by a Secret Service agent to drive him back to the house and finished his ride, the spokesman said.

Duffy said the accident was probably caused by topsoil loosened by "a lot of rain."

Source: Xinhua