Cubist
Still wavin'
- Location
- Ovver 'thill
My 11 year old twins had been badgering me to let them cycle to school, and I had promised to follow them down on my bike and then set off to work after I'd seen them safely into the bike sheds. The journey is only about a mile, but it's all downhill, and although they seem perfectly safe out on the road with me, I was a bit cautious about letting them go without me. I had to get to a meeting this morning, so I compromised and decided to follow them down in the car. I made sure they had new lights on, both were wearing helmets, and reflective slap-wraps on wrists and ankles. Young Cubette rode in front, with young Cubester close behind. It was frosty, but the roads had been gritted.
Halfway down the first really steep hill (about 1:5 in old money) there's a sharp right hand bend. Despite my telling them to take it easy on the steepest bits, Cubette was going too fast and ran wide, into the leaves and snot on the verge. She braked and lost it competely, and in horror I watched her hit the chevron sign on the bend and hit the wall headfirst, flipping upside down and landing in a big untidy heap on the tarmac. Cubester locked up both wheels and cartwheeled into the drystone wall, landing pretty close to his sister.
You can imagine how I was feeling, having watched both my kids have what I can only describe as an horrific crash on their first school run. I put on the hazards and jumped out, amazed to see them both stand up and try to get their bikes back upright. Cubette's face was badly scraped on her cheek and chin, and she had all sorts of vegetation in her hair and visor. She was however insisting that she was unhurt, and wanted to carry on to school. Cubester was also claiming to be injury free, but he too had obvious facial grazes and his visor had been knocked off.
The handlebars of Cubette's GT were jammed backwards over the crossbar, but it only took a sharp wrench to get them back the right way. The chain had come off Cubester's Cube, and that was sooon put back on. They insisted on riding onto school, another half a mile, so I made sure neither had buckled wheels, and that their brakes still worked, and followed them on to the village. Once in the bikesheds I found them telling a mate about what had happened. Cubette looked a real mess, but she then rolled up her trouser leg and saw a deep 4" gash in her shin.
Needless to say A&E staff were awesome, and we're all back home. Cubester has since discovered livid bruising on both legs, and has very sore tackle. Cubette has ten stitches in her leg, and grazes all over.
As a final note, I have examined both their helmets. Cubette's crackles around the temple area, where there are obvious signs of impact, and Cubester's has several areas of denting in the outer shell. It is obvious that both hit the drystone wall headfirst. Both helmets will be binned and replaced before they ride again. Please don't ask me to join in any helmet debates. I have all the evidence I need to thank God that I bought them quality kit and insisted they wear them. No one will persuade me that the helmets did not save them both from serious injury in this instance.
I now face several days of "I told you so!" from Mrs Cube, but hey, I bet they both respect steep hills and bends from now on!
Halfway down the first really steep hill (about 1:5 in old money) there's a sharp right hand bend. Despite my telling them to take it easy on the steepest bits, Cubette was going too fast and ran wide, into the leaves and snot on the verge. She braked and lost it competely, and in horror I watched her hit the chevron sign on the bend and hit the wall headfirst, flipping upside down and landing in a big untidy heap on the tarmac. Cubester locked up both wheels and cartwheeled into the drystone wall, landing pretty close to his sister.
You can imagine how I was feeling, having watched both my kids have what I can only describe as an horrific crash on their first school run. I put on the hazards and jumped out, amazed to see them both stand up and try to get their bikes back upright. Cubette's face was badly scraped on her cheek and chin, and she had all sorts of vegetation in her hair and visor. She was however insisting that she was unhurt, and wanted to carry on to school. Cubester was also claiming to be injury free, but he too had obvious facial grazes and his visor had been knocked off.
The handlebars of Cubette's GT were jammed backwards over the crossbar, but it only took a sharp wrench to get them back the right way. The chain had come off Cubester's Cube, and that was sooon put back on. They insisted on riding onto school, another half a mile, so I made sure neither had buckled wheels, and that their brakes still worked, and followed them on to the village. Once in the bikesheds I found them telling a mate about what had happened. Cubette looked a real mess, but she then rolled up her trouser leg and saw a deep 4" gash in her shin.
Needless to say A&E staff were awesome, and we're all back home. Cubester has since discovered livid bruising on both legs, and has very sore tackle. Cubette has ten stitches in her leg, and grazes all over.
As a final note, I have examined both their helmets. Cubette's crackles around the temple area, where there are obvious signs of impact, and Cubester's has several areas of denting in the outer shell. It is obvious that both hit the drystone wall headfirst. Both helmets will be binned and replaced before they ride again. Please don't ask me to join in any helmet debates. I have all the evidence I need to thank God that I bought them quality kit and insisted they wear them. No one will persuade me that the helmets did not save them both from serious injury in this instance.
I now face several days of "I told you so!" from Mrs Cube, but hey, I bet they both respect steep hills and bends from now on!