Richard Branson crashes his bike: 'Helmet saved my life'
08-26-16, 06:35 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2016
Location: Southeast Michigan
Posts: 92
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 43 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
Richard Branson crashes his bike: 'Helmet saved my life'
Richard Branson bike crash: 'I thought I was going to die' - Aug. 26, 2016
Richard Branson says he's happy to be alive after a harrowing bike crash earlier this week.
The outspoken billionaire behind Virgin Group said his life flashed before his eyes as he was launched off his bike while cycling on the British Virgin Islands.
Branson said he was heading down a hill when his bike hit a speed bump, throwing him into the air.
"I really thought I was going to die," he said in an online blog post. "Fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life."
He suffered a cracked cheek and some torn ligaments, he said. The British entrepreneur posted photos of his bruised and bloody face.
The cycling trip was part of his training for a month-long Virgin-branded fundraising event.
Richard Branson says he's happy to be alive after a harrowing bike crash earlier this week.
The outspoken billionaire behind Virgin Group said his life flashed before his eyes as he was launched off his bike while cycling on the British Virgin Islands.
Branson said he was heading down a hill when his bike hit a speed bump, throwing him into the air.
"I really thought I was going to die," he said in an online blog post. "Fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life."
He suffered a cracked cheek and some torn ligaments, he said. The British entrepreneur posted photos of his bruised and bloody face.
The cycling trip was part of his training for a month-long Virgin-branded fundraising event.
08-26-16, 07:59 AM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,409
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18485 Post(s)
Liked 15,779 Times
in
7,408 Posts
08-26-16, 08:01 AM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 341 Times
in
228 Posts
I'm trying to wrap my head around being a billionaire and not having a helmet that would protect your face, or an assistant to vet the route. I've watched too many batman/iron man movies I guess.
08-26-16, 08:31 AM
#8
Farmer tan
Seriously though, I'm always encouraged to hear of celebrities who cycle, and I'm sorry to hear of anyone crashing. Glad he's OK.
08-26-16, 08:41 AM
#9
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Groningen
Posts: 1,308
Bikes: Gazelle rod brakes, Batavus compact, Peugeot hybrid
Mentioned: 85 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6006 Post(s)
Liked 958 Times
in
732 Posts
Paying attention would not only have saved his life, but his shoulder and his face too.
08-26-16, 08:43 AM
#10
Banned
08-26-16, 08:50 AM
#12
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 4,530
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2112 Post(s)
Liked 663 Times
in
443 Posts
Originally Posted by Sir Richard Charles Nicholas Branson
(however, perhaps they should build bike helmets that protect the side of the face too - does anyone know of one?).
-mr. bill
08-26-16, 08:51 AM
#13
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: Groningen
Posts: 1,308
Bikes: Gazelle rod brakes, Batavus compact, Peugeot hybrid
Mentioned: 85 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6006 Post(s)
Liked 958 Times
in
732 Posts
I'm not an expert on Virgin Islands infrastructure, but it's very unusual to put speed bumps just around a corner to surprise road users, who are not going fast anyway because they are just speeding up after a corner. I really can't say that helmets aren't a sensible idea for sports cyclists, but every now and then I get the impression wearing one makes people more stupid.
08-26-16, 09:10 AM
#14
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 341 Times
in
228 Posts
Seriously though I wish him well and I do admire his attitude about it.
08-26-16, 10:02 AM
#15
Senior Member
add to that he owns this island and it's a real head scratcher.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necker...Virgin_Islands)
"who had this bloody speed bump installed!"
08-26-16, 10:25 AM
#16
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 4,530
Mentioned: 34 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2112 Post(s)
Liked 663 Times
in
443 Posts
He was cycling on Virgin Gorda, not Necker Island.
Descending toward Leverick Bay, probably on Rd to Leverick Bay, probably the last few hundred meters of the road.
You have to guard against your mind wandering at the end of a long ride. Of course, none of *US* have ever made any errors while riding a bicycle.
-mr. bill
Descending toward Leverick Bay, probably on Rd to Leverick Bay, probably the last few hundred meters of the road.
You have to guard against your mind wandering at the end of a long ride. Of course, none of *US* have ever made any errors while riding a bicycle.
-mr. bill
Last edited by mr_bill; 08-26-16 at 10:53 AM.
08-26-16, 10:28 AM
#17
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: West Palm Beach FL
Posts: 176
Bikes: Giant TCR SL 1, Niner Air 9, Motobecane Fantom Cross Pro
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 57 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
1 Post
Someone is getting fired over that speedbump! I read that article recently and it reminded me of when I went over the handlebars at around 20MPH in Central Park NYC. I got a big scrape on my face, landed on my shoulders but luckily my helmet also saved my head. It cracked on impact.
Sucks to fly and land on your shoulders/face when least expected.
Sucks to fly and land on your shoulders/face when least expected.
08-26-16, 12:40 PM
#19
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,409
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18485 Post(s)
Liked 15,779 Times
in
7,408 Posts
08-26-16, 01:41 PM
#20
Cycle Year Round
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/167761...or-bike-crash/
What a freaking drama queen. As far as I am aware, stingray stings are rarely deadly, even to kids.
What a freaking drama queen. As far as I am aware, stingray stings are rarely deadly, even to kids.
The accident-prone Virgin boss – who escaped a run in with a deadly stingray just a few months ago – said he genuinely thought he’d finally run out of lives.
__________________
Land of the Free, Because of the Brave.
Land of the Free, Because of the Brave.
08-26-16, 01:49 PM
#21
afraid of whales
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Front Range, CO
Posts: 4,306
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 347 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times
in
5 Posts
Not by choice, ask any Sicilian....
The silly Ozzie that called himself the "Crocodile Hunter" thought so too....
... As far as I am aware, stingray stings are rarely deadly, even to kids.
08-26-16, 07:35 PM
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 3,509
Bikes: 3 good used ones
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 83 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
I guess when on a bike even billionaires are subject to poor road conditions and bad lighting.
08-26-16, 07:36 PM
#23
Senior Member
he should have been riding his own paved asphalt trail around a private lake.
__________________
Comedian Bill Hicks once said, "Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy a jet ski, and you never see an unhappy person riding a jet ski."
Comedian Bill Hicks once said, "Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy a jet ski, and you never see an unhappy person riding a jet ski."
08-26-16, 08:31 PM
#25
Banned
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 124
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 160 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
If his crash would have been fatal had he not being wearing a helmet he would have been more injured than this. A fatal head injury that was prevented from being fatal by a helmet would still cause significant cerebral injuries which he doesn't appear to have suffered.