Early Career
The outbreak of war in 1939 and then the German invasion of 1940 made cycle-racing possible but difficult in France. Robic rode cyclo-cross races and as many of the big road races that were still run. He turned professional in 1943. The following year he fell in Paris–Roubaix and finished the race with a broken skull. It was then that he started wearing the leather crash helmet for which he became known. The helmet won him the nickname of tête de cuir, or leather-head; his short stature also brought him the nickname "Biquet", or "kid goat".
Read more about this topic: Jean Robic
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