A cycling helmet saved the life of a 35-year-old triathlete who suffered injuries to his head that left him with a hole in his skull.

James Cutajar, is now urging fellow cyclists to wear a helmet at all times, even when warming up or just leisurely cycling, which is what he was doing on the day of the incident on June 15.

It is a mystery whether he was hit from the back or fell after clipping rough ground.

However, one thing is for sure: he lived to tell the tale because he was wearing a helmet.

Mr Cutajar was returning to Balzan from Għajn Tuffieħa. “That’s all I remember. The next thing I recall was waking up and looking into the face of nurses who had arrived on site in an ambulance,” he said.

Mr Cutajar was not in pain, and could only feel a huge stiffness in his shoulders and back. He thought he needed a couple of stitches, however, he spent a week at the neurosurgical ward, he said, adding he found great support from the staff.

During a seven-hour operation on June 16, doctors removed 17 pieces of bone from his skull, leaving him with a hole that will be covered with a plate in an upcoming operation. “Doctors told me that had the impact been one centimetre lower, I would have died on the spot. The helmet saved me.”

During seven-hour operation doctors removed 17 pieces of bone from skull

Three months on, Mr Cutajar put up a post on Facebook about his “life-changing experience”, insisting on the use of helmets.

He admits that before the incident, there were instances when he would not wear it during warming up, however, now he actually stops his car to urge cyclists not wearing a helmet to put one on.

His friend Matthew Azzopardi noted that unfortunately there were seasoned athletes who sometimes trained without a helmet.

According to the International Triathlon Union, athletes could be disqualified even if they do not wear a helmet during warming up and cooling down sessions.

Mr Cutajar’s appeal follows that of Mario Micallef, a cyclist who in May was injured by a bus.

He called on cyclists to turn on their bike lights at night and wear safety gear, especially their helmets, which is what saved him in the incident.