Lying on my back, checking that nothing was broken, after another mishap involving mud and wet leaves, I started to wonder - when did I lose the ability to bounce?

I'd managed a safe landing on my side without stretching out my arm and further damaging my shoulder but it was about as graceful as a sack of potatoes being thrown from a lorry.

As a kid I could jump off an 8' wall and my knees would act like suspension forks, but now if I jump down the bottom two stairs I land with a solid thump!

This is why non-impact (apart from falls) cycling is such a good exercise for these old bones.