The value of a cycle helmet

The helmet before it goes into the bin!

The two worst injuries I've suffered have both been low speed crashes, the first when the bike slid on spilt diesel on a wet surface as I slowly took a corner and deposited me onto tarmac with an almighty thump to leave my collar bone sticking up at an acute angle and again yesterday when I failed to see a small dark tree stump at the side of a track in a wood. The fact that I was wearing sunglasses didn't help the vision side of things, but the bike just stood right on its front wheel and catapulted me face first into of all things a convenient root. The front of the the helmet, and my nose, took the full force of this sudden close interest in what attaches trees to the ground and after a quick feel to see if my head was still attached to the rest of my body I discovered a fairish bit of blood coming from said nose. I now know what it must have been like to have been punched straight in the face by Mike Tyson at the height of his powers, and its scary.However the helmet saved me from serious injury and possible brain damage (if that's possible in my case) so its into the bin with it with a quick thanks for a good job done! Back out again at night with Mark, Neil, Dougie and young Marc to do a 24 miler in the dark. Highlight was meeting up with 3 girl riders, one of whom referred to young Marc as "the wee shredder", I can see that name sticking for a while!