CRASH AND LEARN

Norman recalls how he learnt a helmet's benefits the hard way

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I have not cycled in very many countries. Ireland springs to mind, as does Germany, the Netherlands, France, New Zealand and South Africa. France is the pick, hands down. It's a big country with plenty of small roads and superb villages with hotels that serve lovely food. The motorist is also, in general, the friend of cyclists.

South Africa, on the other hand, has less going for it, in cycling terms. When my brother was still alive I would regularly travel there to visit him. I was about 75 at the time. Near where he stayed in Johannesburg was a cycle shop run by a woman called Janine. We got to talking and when she learnt my age, she offered to lend me a secondhand cycle for the duration of my three-week stay, provided I bought a set of inner tubes, a small saddle bag, a pump and other minor accessories to offset maintenance costs. At a guess I would say that we had this arrangement going for about six years. I have not been back since my brother died and have lost contact with a lovely lady.