Neil Lennon joked that he thought he was competing in the Tour de France after a biking accident which left him with nasty facial injuries.
The ex-Northern Ireland captain was pictured with a bandaged nose after the incident in Romania.
Lennon (53), who was appointed Rapid Bucharest manager in May, was involved in the accident at a local park this week.
The club’s president admitted he was left “scared” when he saw Lennon after the incident.
Asked about it on Friday, Lennon said: “I thought I was in the Tour de France.
“It’s not the first time I’ve fallen off my bike and I’m sure it won’t be the last time.
“But no, I’m fine, a couple of scratches, no problem.
“The Tour de France is on at the minute and I’m fascinated by it, but I’m too old for all that now, but everything is good.”
Lennon was wearing a white bandage across his nose when he appeared at a press conference ahead of his side’s clash with CFR Cluj this weekend.
Earlier, Rapid Bucharest’s president had revealed details of the incident.
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Viorel Moldovan said: “Neil Lennon suffered a bicycle accident while cycling around Herastrau Park.
“I was scared when I saw him in training. He fell off his bike. I understand he hit a curb. He has a bruised nose, shins and knees.
“Did you watch him as a midfielder? I thought the accident was much more serious after seeing him. It’s good that he didn’t break anything – he’s solid.”
Asked if his bandaged face had scared the players, Lennon joked: “The guys get scared every time they see me, regardless of the scratches.”
Lennon, from Lurgan, played football for clubs including Leicester City and Celtic and was capped 40 times by Northern Ireland.
He later had two spells managing Celtic, as well as stints at Bolton Wanderers, Hibernian and, most recently, Greek side Omonia.
It is the second high-profile accident involving a footballer and a bike in recent weeks.
Anthony Gordon fell off his bike while at England’s Euro 2024 camp in Germany, gashing his chin and cutting his hands.
It happened on a recovery ride the morning after his substitute appearance against Slovenia on June 25.
“I could have [been hurt] with the speed I was going down a hill,” Gordon said afterwards.
“I could have ended up anywhere. It was on the golf course and I’ve managed to land on the only bit of gravel there was.”
He added: “I think the moral of the story is that we spend too much time on our phones these days. The moral of the story is to just enjoy the moment without a phone.”