An elderly hunt follower died after falling over and hitting his head in a collision with a cyclist, an inquest was told.
Richard Winters, of Melton, had an unusually thin skull, which contributed to his injuries.
Mr Winters was among hundreds of people making their way to watch the Belvoir Hunt in Long Clawson, on December 15.
The 82-year-old sustained fatal head injuries after stepping into the path of a cyclist just after 11am.
He was taken by air ambulance to Nottingham's Queen's Medical Centre, where he died later that day.
The inquest at Loughborough Coroner's Court heard Mr Winters suffered multiple fractures to the back of his skull after falling backwards.
Forensic pathologist Frances Hollingbury, who carried out the post-mortem exmination, said the back of Mr Winters's skull "shattered" into several pieces.
She said: "There were multiple fractures and signs of bleeding and bruising on the brain."
She said Mr Winters's skull was "quite a lot thinner" than she would have normally expected to see.
It measured 1mm at the side of his head. A normal skull would measure 4mm to 5mm.
The skull thickness at the back of his head was 3mm, compared with an average thickness of 1cm.
Ms Hollingbury said: "I believe this contributed to the extent of the head injury.
"A skull fracture in itself doesn't cause someone to die – but because the skull was much thinner than normal, the force of the impact from the fall caused it to shatter."
The cyclist, Anthony Palmer, told the hearing he had been riding home from work along Hose Lane, towards Hose, when the collision happened.
"It's a road I know well and there were many people about," he said.
"There were cars parked on the right-hand side and pedestrians walking on both sides.
"All of a sudden, a person – who I later found out to be Mr Winters – stepped out in front of me .
"There wasn't enough time for me to react, break or avoid him.
"I wasn't riding very fast – it was slower than normal because I was overtaking horses.
"I went over my handlebars and rolled down the road. I think I struck him as I went over the top.
"I got up and saw he was unconscious. Someone called an ambulance and I put him in the recovery position."
Crash investigator Pc Michael Hinton, of Leicestershire police's serious collision unit, said the weather was dry but the road slightly damp.
He said Mr Palmer's 12-speed racer was in good working order and physical evidence and witness statements corroborated his description of events.
Coroner Trevor Kirkman, recording a verdict of accidental death, offered his condolences to Mr Winters's widow, Jo, and his family.
Mr Winters, who was known to friends as Dick, worked for solicitors Oldham and Marsh and Son for about 50 years until he retired in 1995.
