Olympic champion rower James Cracknell switches to cargo bike after driving licence revoked

Don't hold your breath, Simon

Dave, if you were mad enough to run an ultra marathon on busy roads I think I'd worry about your sanity, never mind your head protection!

Fair point, though.

not that you'll ever catch me running an ultra marathon. just sayin'.

If i ran on busy roads, on some kind of ultra marathon, and i got hit by a truck wing mirror, a helmet might save my life. I'd be well within my rights to talk about that, and suggest that other people doing ultra marathons on busy roads protect themselves accordingly.

I *wouldn't* be within my rights to suggest that every casual jogger wore a helmet all the time, even if they were just jogging round the park. Because jogging isn't that dangerous, and my experience wouldn't have made it so.

I thought James's "helmet saved my life" statement had been argued to oblivion before (here and here, for starters).

There is no need for personal insults. All you do is make yourself look like an arse.

As anyone who has read or participated in helmet discussions here or elsewhere, even well reasoned arguments won't convince someone who holds a different point of view.

I think the problem some of us have is that what is said by Alpina endorsee and non-scientist James can be influential, and his comments are used as ammunition by interested parties. I'm not saying he isn't entitled to an opinion, but the fact that he survived being hit by a lorry does not make him a road safety statistician.

However, the seizure must have been a bit of a scare. I wish him the very best. I also hope he can promote the trike as a real alternative to the gas-guzzler he was using before.

Some rather precious souls on here. The mere mention of a helmet has their paranoia levels rocketing.

Hello Mercury one - only an idiot would run into a fence, an iron one at that. It seem you like doing this. How many cyclists actually ride headlong into anything - 99% of the time it's from the rear or from the side. I think the greater twat is someone who looks for iron rails to charge into - personally. No doubt I will get some expletive in reply.

What a pathetic idiotic thing to say. I really hate being bullied into something that is practically impossible to achieve when riding or riding like Mr Mecury one does - head long onto things with no regard where he is going and what the consequences are.

Most cyclists ride with a sense of where they are, Are able to read the road, and ride with awareness.

As for Mr roadiesean I think the anger regarding mr crackenel is his holy than though attitude to this. I reckon he would have had the same injuries with or without a helmet. He makes statements he can't justify and preaches helmets when he is being paid by a helmet manufacturer to sponsor there goods. This smacks as double standards to me. As for doing the best he can - he is making a fortune out it, while preaching this assinine attitude to us all.

Yes it is a shame he was injured - but that does not give him the right to preach to us. I never see him preaching safer roads for cyclists or stronger penalties for those car drives that maim and kill.

James is quite justified in saying that the helmet saved his life. I've had several accidents in which a helmet saved me from further injury, including coming off without cars being involved (that was quite embarrassing).

I agree with Dave Atkinson, cycling itself isn't dangerous, it's the colliding with the ground using your head to stop that's the problem.

Of course James' accident was partly caused by the Arizona law on minimum driving speeds, so he didn't have an accompanying support car.

As for the fits, no disrespect to James but should he be riding a bicycle at all if he's likely to have a seizure? Certainly he shouldn't be out on his own on the road. I don't even ride a bike if I have a bad cough, especially as I get light-headed if I cough hard and even faint sometimes!

Once again I would ask anyone of the anti helmet fraternity to join me in a simple test. We can film it for Road.CC. I get you to run head down at railings with a bike helmet on - then without. You then describe which was more painful and whether you thought the helmet offered any protection. Someone once said of US President Gerald Ford that 'he played too much football without a helmet..' I wonder if much the same could be said of those that cycle without them as well?

a.jumper, I think not, a.twat more like

How can you possibly stand here and jump up and down at this poor sod. There but for the grace of God go all of us. He's one of us you idiot and Ush as well. What the hell are you trying to say, that James Cracknell a superstar athlete brought down by a total ar5e whilst trying to ride his bike should sit in a darkened room watching telly and sipping soup through a straw ? He's trying to do the best for his family, believe me whether the law says 2 seizures and you have to give up your licence or 10, if I had one I would never drive my kids around again. He is responsible and trying all he can do. You anti-helmet donuts make me sick. No, there is no way of testing whether it was a helmet that saved his life, but given the state of his injuries, I think its safe to say that if he hadn't been wearing one, he'd be dead, or brain dead at best. My life has been saved twice by a helmet, both accidents absolutely nothing to do with me, but both times I was very grateful to have had one on.

I don't care whether the government says you should wear a helmet, I will wear one. Its your right to not wear one, but don't come crying to me when you're eating your dinner through a straw dribbling.

Well done James, you are making the very, very best out of a bloody bad lot.

I agree with Ush.

Surely the way to proceed though, in the world of real politik, is that in incidents as happened to Cracknell, the judge who doles out fines/prison sentences should point out to the defendant that if the cyclist had not been wearing a helmet, he/she would be looking at a charge of causing death by dangerous driving. Currently, there seems to be an implication that us cyclists *must* wear helmets at all times in case drivers decide to absent mindedly drive into us.

Seems like a negative portrayal of cycling. Ride a bike and you'll end up brain-damaged. Then you'll "lose your independence". All coupled with a lot of helmet promotion.

I wish Cracknell, the person, all the best, but I detest the role that he plays as a supposed "bike spokesperson".

Hi editors, quick correction, James Cracknell was hit by a lorry not a bike - first para...

Clever - combine a road and mountain bike to create a cargo bike. It looks like an awkward riding position though.

I thought you needed to have two seizures before it was determined that you had epilepsy. But maybe having a seizure after suffering a brain injury is different, and is a flag for a high risk of it happening again.

Bullitt would surely do the job.

Also, technology is quite useful - lots of supermarkets will deliver nowadays.

Give him a few months and he'll be hankering for a Bullitt - large child seats in front (with side cage bars) and on rear carrier for smaller kids, and potential for trailerbike as overflow