Helmet or not?

[ATBScott]

Quick Step's Kurt Hovelijnck fractured his skull on a training ride and is in critical condition... I wonder if he was wearing a helmet when it happened? Pro riders are such great bike handlers, and so used to being on their bikes that they really are not as likely to fall as the average rider, but still, things happen... A relaxed ride or moment's inattention can be all it takes to go down - in fact those are more likely the time(s) it will happen. I wonder if anyone knows whether he had a lid on or not. Hopefully he'll recover.

Just reminds me of an incident a few years ago on a motorcycle ride - I came upon 2 cars stopped, and a woman and a man on their bicycles. The man was laying in the back seat of one of the cars, bleeding from his upper forehead. I asked if they needed me to go get help and they said someone had already took off to do that. I asked what happened, and the woman said "he hit a branch on the ground and it flipped him off the bike". I didn't see a helmet on either of them or laying around, and the injury location didn't look like it was "protected". I asked her if he was wearing a helmet, and she said "no - he's a really good rider" to which I replied - "he's obviously not THAT good!" Hopefully he recovered fully too. While I believe that people should be free to make their own decisions on things like this, it sure seems pretty stoopid with modern lids being so light and well-ventilated that they really aren't much of a hindrance. I feel pretty naked if I get on a bike without one. Be interesting to hear how many ride with/without and what the logic is for either decision!

 

[Billopoulos]

Personally I always ride with my helmet, just like I always drive my car with my seat belt on. I think it's the least we can do for our personal safety, either we are Boonen or Schumacher, or we are common riders and drivers like most of us.

 

[Hinter]

I would never go out without a helmet, just as I'd never ride a motor bike without one. I've only got one head!

 

[MTBRaider]

Belgian Pros never wear helmets, thinking about it Belgian novices don't wear helmets. I've lived in Belgium for three years now and have seen more head injury crashes than in my 15 years of riding and racing in the states. One of my teammates was hit by a car five years ago and almost died from head injuries. He only wears a helmet when he's required to, in races.

Some Belgians do wear helmets, the smart ones.

 

[flip03]

Not worth the risk. I know they cant protect you from everything but the way i look at it my head will be better off if it hits the ground wearing one than not.

What is a bit weird is that the uci have made full face helmets and body armour mandatory for downhill but road pros doing 120kph in the alps only have to wear lycra.

 

[BroDeal]

Not worth the risk. I know they cant protect you from everything but the way i look at it my head will be better off if it hits the ground wearing one than not.

What is a bit weird is that the uci have made full face helmets and body armour mandatory for downhill but road pros doing 120kph in the alps only have to wear lycra.

No one is doing 120kph on the road. Not even Paul Sherwin exaggerates that much.

 

[Hinter]

What is a bit weird is that the uci have made full face helmets and body armour mandatory for downhill but road pros doing 120kph in the alps only have to wear lycra.

Thing is, they can't really stop the race whilst the riders don body armour and full face helmets

 

[nathanbloke]

Belgian Pros never wear helmets, thinking about it Belgian novices don't wear helmets. I've lived in Belgium for three years now and have seen more head injury crashes than in my 15 years of riding and racing in the states. One of my teammates was hit by a car five years ago and almost died from head injuries. He only wears a helmet when he's required to, in races.

Some Belgians do wear helmets, the smart ones.

Personally, I thought all helmets look rather smart.

 

[Anonymous]

i never used to wear one.. they used to do my head in if youll excuse the expression.. i just didnt like them (but im going back 20 years)...
Fabio Casartelli kinda changed all that... think i got one within about a week...

 

[Anonymous]

Not worth the risk. I know they cant protect you from everything but the way i look at it my head will be better off if it hits the ground wearing one than not.

What is a bit weird is that the uci have made full face helmets and body armour mandatory for downhill but road pros doing 120kph in the alps only have to wear lycra.

branches, tree stumps, bushes, v tarmac..... no contest...

120kph.. i think not.. lol..... i did 67mph down perranporth hill once and that was the stupedist thing i have ever done in my life... never again i can tell you... i thought i had setup the cateye wrong until we checked the guy with me and his said 66 (to be fair we only hit that speed for a second and it frightened the living hell out of both of us)

 

[schadenfreude]

oh goodie! a helmet thread.

 

[Anonymous]

oh goodie! a helmet thread.

has that made your day..

the only downside of them are those great images over the years.. pantani climbing the alps with his bandana, fignon hair blowing in the breeze (in the non erotic sense of the word), sean kelly head encrusted in mud on the french roads.... great images that are ruined by the endless uniforms we suffer now...

i really would love to see a race with old style strips etc.. isnt one team doing that this year or did i dream it...

(oops sorry. .im derailing and entering team strip territory as opposed to helmets - should i start a new thread in a seperate section.. )

 

[mr. tibbs]

I've broken two helmets over the years: once on a big white F-150 and once on a big black road. I'm glad it was the helmets that got cracked and not my head. I feel naked on a bike w/out one now, and I get upset when I see all the fixie hipsters riding around downtown Austin, TX w/out them. Especially w/ how dangerously they ride!

More than one person I've met since moving here has thought my advocacy of helmets was some kind of bandwagon-thing. It disturbs me that the most basic safety on a bike is viewed by some people as a fashionable fad and therefore they refuse it.

 

[Bartoli]

I allways use a helmet, too dangerous to not use one. Especially in the Netherlands with al the traffic.

 

[SteveMedcroft]

I always wear a helmet. Riding on the road is dangerous enough without me doing at least this one simple thing to bring the odds of a crash causing permanent damage back into my favor. As much as I can influence them, I harass my friends to always wear a helmet as well out. But we do have one guy who, since spending a month in Central Europe last year, doesn't wear one anymore. I hope he never turns into a cautionary tale.

 

[poki..]

Of course I wear my helmet. Every time.

 

[nightfend]

Helmets are not too bad anymore. They are fairly light and not very hot. But, back in the 90's when I started racing, the helmets were like heavy plastic buckets...Those sucked.

 

[titan_90]

I always wear my helmet and would never ride without one. There are so many variables that one cannot control that it's not worth it. Besides the normal idiot drivers I have had a squirrel almost run thru my front wheel on a few occasions which could of been real nasty.

 

[ingsve]

Sure it's probably true that pro riders are better at handling their bikes than any one of us but there is one more factor at play here. They spent many many more hours on the bike than anyone else as well so I wouldn't be at all surprised if in fact pros run a considerable higher risk at crashing than others.

Even if a risk is very very small, if you put that risk to the test over and over again you'll eventually lose. That's just pure statistics.

 

[Alpe d'Huez]

I'm an excellent bike handler and used to race (amateur, Cat 3 pack fodder at best), and haven't had a significant crash in over 15 years. I wear my helmet 99% of the time anyway. The only exception is on really hot days when just strolling to the park, or taking it off on hot days going uphill on remote climbs with no traffic, and pinning it to the handlebars. Fastest I ever did was about 61mph for a few seconds, scary enough. Anything over 50 and you're flying on edge and have to really watch far ahead of you.

Many pros do not wear their helmet during training rides, even during cool days. I can only speculate that it's an issue of stubborn tradition, or maybe perceived inconvenience.

I second the idea I do miss the old days a little of seeing pro racers without helmets, and I thought the rule that allowed them to ditch them on long final climbs was acceptable.

 

[BroDeal]

I used to ride quite a bit without a helmet, especially while climbing. Nowdays I pretty much always wear one while training. I do feel there is a false sense of safety that feel when wearing a helmet. They are not very effective in a the type of bike-car crash that usually kills a cyclist. People do stupid things because they think helmets provide more protection than they really do.

I really don't get the attitude of people who seem to be too scared to ride around the block without a helmet. Using my MTB without a helmet to ride down to the Post Office or something does not bother me in the least.

 

[VeloGirl]

Current event concerning the use of helmets in organized sports. For those who don't know, actress Natasha Richardson fell and hit her head during a skiing lesson. After the accident, she was talking and not complaining of any aches or pains. Hours later, she lays in a hospital, and according to some reports, has little brain function. Kinda scary.

The article has some good general facts on "how much a body/head" can handle:
"The human body is a sturdy one, but only up to a point, able to withstand collisions of about 15 miles per hour, which is about as fast as an average person can run. The skull is designed to be especially rugged — the permanent home and helmet for the brain — but even it can't take a much more serious hit. The problem is that over the centuries, we've developed all manner of ways to exceed a mere 15 m.p.h. creep".

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1886115,00.html

Cyclists far exceed 15mph/24kph. Just an interesting read.

 

[lookkg386]

No one is doing 120kph on the road. Not even Paul Sherwin exaggerates that much.

Ummm, yes he does.

BTW when wearing lycra you fall at any speed it aint helping..

 

[lookkg386]

Current event concerning the use of helmets in organized sports. For those who don't know, actress Natasha Richardson fell and hit her head during a skiing lesson. After the accident, she was talking and not complaining of any aches or pains. Hours later, she lays in a hospital, and according to some reports, has little brain function. Kinda scary.

The article has some good general facts on "how much a body/head" can handle:
"The human body is a sturdy one, but only up to a point, able to withstand collisions of about 15 miles per hour, which is about as fast as an average person can run. The skull is designed to be especially rugged — the permanent home and helmet for the brain — but even it can't take a much more serious hit. The problem is that over the centuries, we've developed all manner of ways to exceed a mere 15 m.p.h. creep".

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1886115,00.html

Cyclists far exceed 15mph/24kph. Just an interesting read.

Further on that, she passed away earlier today from her injuries. She actually laughed off the accident and walked away!, So similar to what can happen to a cyclist.

Wear a helmet people!!!

 

[cyclelicious]

If you've ever cracked a helmet landing on concrete you'll become a firm believer quick. Trust me, don't risk it.