A FORMER hospital technician and cycling enthusiast who died in a road collision will be remembered as a "kind and caring gentleman".

Cyclist Norman Brooks, 71, from Leigh, was involved in a serious collision with a silver Mercedes in Brays Lane, Canewdon, shortly before 5.15pm on Tuesday, May 3.

He was taken to The Royal London Hospital, where he sadly died on Wednesday, May 18.

Mr Brooks was born in April 1945 and grew up with his family in the Chalkwell Beach area of Leigh.

In a tribute, his family said: "Norman's hobbies in his early life were beach-related and he was a strong swimmer from a young age and an active canoeist and sailor.

"He left school aged 15 and joined the Merchant Navy. For the next five years he worked his way around the world and was rarely seen in Leigh. His favourite country in the world at that time was New Zealand because of the people and the natural beauty of the country.

"After completing his service, he returned home, aged 20, to his other favourite country, England.

"He tried different jobs in Leigh and eventually settled into a role as a photographer/technician at Rochford Hospital and Southend General Hospital. He loved his job and developed a passion for photography. He was the electrocardiogram (ECG) technician and performed literally thousands of ECGs at the hospital on patients. His kind and caring personality made him especially suitable for this job.

"While working at the hospital he also decided to take the selection course for the renowned Special Air Service Regiment (Reserve). Less than five per cent of recruits pass the rigorous selection course and Norman passed with flying colours. He spent the next seven years of weekends with the 21st SAS Regiment climbing mountains and walking hundreds of miles heavily burdened with a 70lb backpack.

"As if this were not enough, he had to parachute out of planes too. He was one of the fittest soldiers in a regiment known for physical fitness.

"When Norman was 30, he decided to give up driving and relied on a bicycle for his transport. Little did he realise that that this would be the advent of a consuming passion that would last him the rest of his days and unfortunately, ultimately cost him his life.

"For the next 40 years he would think nothing of cycling more than 100 miles a day. He joined a cycling club and his fellow cyclists became his best friends.

"He took his bike with him everywhere he travelled. He would visit his relatives in California every year and always take his bike and cycle hundreds of miles around the state.

"One year, he decided to fly to Portland, Oregon, and cycle the thousand miles to southern California.

"In his later years, Norman would take his bike to Spain and in 2005, he retired fully from the hospital and purchased a second home in El Campello, Spain. He would spend the English winter there so he would be able to cycle in the warmer climate. He joined a cycle group and a hiking group and made many new friends.

"He will be greatly missed by us and all the people who were fortunate enough to know him or meet him. There is a poignant theme to all the caring and loving comments made by his many friends and colleagues: that Norman was a kind and caring gentleman.”