Helmets look stupid

gavin11756 said:

Some time ago I received a bollicking from certain people that said I was wrong about wanted the helmets to be optional. I maintained then and now they look bloody stupid, ruin the tradition of the race and have little practical good.

i checked to see the death count on "Le Tour ". of about 5 deaths three were cyclists. No cyclist died on the friggin road. They were drug abusers except one poor [censored] in 1936 or something that went off a ravine! one journalist and a motocyclist have died. My figures are open to correction.

So, I make no apology for wanting to make helmets optional. No one gets killed via head injuries during a race. I say get rid of helmets in races. Some bloke broke his teeth the other day. So his helmet did nothing. Some bloke brakes his arm, or does a ligament. What good a helmet ?

OK, I understand having Jan Ulrich riding over your head after you go down is unpleasant, but hardly life threatening.

They rode without helmets for the vast majority of the life of the race. there have been no deaths due to not wearing a helmet, unless they were in a drug induced state and bounced their head against the hotel wall without a helmet!

Helmets on a public street...sure. But in a safe envioronment like a race no!

Can I buy an arguement here. BTW In case you don't know, the race looks great in"google earth" 🙂 😄

I do miss seeing the riders in "caps" or "hats", but times change. I think it is probably a good idea to have helmets due to crashes in the peloton and such large pile-ups.

Could you provide a link to the google site you mentioned?

gavin11756 said:

So, I make no apology for wanting to make helmets optional. No one gets killed via head injuries during a race. I say get rid of helmets in races. Some bloke broke his teeth the other day. So his helmet did nothing. Some bloke brakes his arm, or does a ligament. What good a helmet ?
...

Can I buy an arguement here.

I believe Saul Raisin (Credit Agricole) would be an historical figure right now if he hadn't been wearing a helmet when he crashed earlier this year.

I don`t understand riders who don`t wear helmet. I never ride without it and I don`t feel that I have it on my had at all. It`s a lot more likely that you get a brain damage or even die if you fell without a helmet than with it. Most of riders train with hats in the winter and with helmets when it`s warm enough. I saw pictures from CSC training camp in the winter and surprisingly, about 5 riders wore a helmet (including Basso), which is quite a lot. I really find it very irresponsibly not wearing a helmet. Everyone has seen a disabled person at least once and I don`t know why they don`t learn something from that.

Not all helmets look stupid. Catlike helmets look really good. Phonak, Euskaltel and Agritubel have them..

gavin11756 said:

Some time ago I received a bollicking from certain people that said I was wrong about wanted the helmets to be optional. I maintained then and now they look bloody stupid, ruin the tradition of the race and have little practical good.

i checked to see the death count on "Le Tour ". of about 5 deaths three were cyclists. No cyclist died on the friggin road. They were drug abusers except one poor [censored] in 1936 or something that went off a ravine! one journalist and a motocyclist have died. My figures are open to correction.

So, I make no apology for wanting to make helmets optional. No one gets killed via head injuries during a race. I say get rid of helmets in races. Some bloke broke his teeth the other day. So his helmet did nothing. Some bloke brakes his arm, or does a ligament. What good a helmet ?

OK, I understand having Jan Ulrich riding over your head after you go down is unpleasant, but hardly life threatening.

They rode without helmets for the vast majority of the life of the race. there have been no deaths due to not wearing a helmet, unless they were in a drug induced state and bounced their head against the hotel wall without a helmet!

Helmets on a public street...sure. But in a safe envioronment like a race no!

Can I buy an arguement here. BTW In case you don't know, the race looks great in"google earth" 🙂 😄

This is a joke, yes? I know I'm new here, but tell me this is sarcasm or something... 😕

MartinInMass said:

This is a joke, yes? I know I'm new here, but tell me this is sarcasm or something... 😕

Another vote here for sarcasm/joke.

I hope.

Being dead looks stupid.

TrekDedicated said:

Being dead looks stupid.

I\m talking about a race only. I support wearing a helmet on a public street. That is where it's dangerous
🙂

TrekDedicated said:

Being dead looks stupid.

Dead in a bike race because of no helmet ! How! The records show differently!
🙂

FrankBattle said:

Another vote here for sarcasm/joke.

I hope.

No Frank, no martin. It's no joke. The records show no deaths through head injuries. i see no need for a helmet during a race
🙂

SportDoc said:

I do miss seeing the riders in "caps" or "hats", but times change. I think it is probably a good idea to have helmets due to crashes in the peloton and such large pile-ups.

Could you provide a link to the google site you mentioned?

just type in "google earth" then tour de france!

🙂

SportDoc said:

I do miss seeing the riders in "caps" or "hats", but times change. I think it is probably a good idea to have helmets due to crashes in the peloton and such large pile-ups.

Could you provide a link to the google site you mentioned?

try this http://www.gearthblog.com/blog/archives/2006/05/tour_de_france.html
🙂

SportDoc said:

I do miss seeing the riders in "caps" or "hats", but times change. I think it is probably a good idea to have helmets due to crashes in the peloton and such large pile-ups.

Could you provide a link to the google site you mentioned?

Exactly Doc, but remember times change, often for the worse becuase strong personalities make the change. All this helmet nonsense comes from insurance companies and not history.

In all the history of thetdF here is no death or serious injury from not wearing a helmet. Sure it's a matter of cuts and scratches and a sore head in a spill without a helmet sometimes but that's it. Helmets should be optional. They look like strange alien creatures with them on

gavin11756 said:

No Frank, no martin. It's no joke. The records show no deaths through head injuries. i see no need for a helmet during a race
🙂

I'm thinking not to many problems with cars,suv's,cellphones users,cats,dogs, foot traffic,ect,ect,ect that we deal with and they dont.

gavin11756 said:

No Frank, no martin. It's no joke. The records show no deaths through head injuries. i see no need for a helmet during a race
🙂

Perhaps Fabio Casartelli at the 1995 TdF rings a bell?
bhsi.orgtimesart.htmOpen ↗
How about Andrei Kivilev at the 2003 Paris-Nice?
news.bbc.co.uk2842707.stmOpen ↗

Still not a lot of injuries and deaths because of not wearing a helmet but helmet is definitely one of the most comfortable safety components.

gavin11756 said:

Dead in a bike race because of no helmet ! How! The records show differently!

Let me repeat this for you [gavin11756] & anyone who agrees with your line of thinking because apparently you missed it:[indent]Saul Raisin (Credit Agricole) suffered serious head injuries earlier this year DURING A RACE (Circuit de la Sarthe) which would have resulted in his death had he not been wearing a helmet. [/indent]I guess you would have preferred it if he had died ...

discobean7 said:

Perhaps Fabio Casartelli at the 1995 TdF rings a bell?
bhsi.orgtimesart.htmOpen ↗
How about Andrei Kivilev at the 2003 Paris-Nice?
news.bbc.co.uk2842707.stmOpen ↗

Yes I see your pooint here. Fair enough too. If the concrete block wasn't there ( stupid thing to place it there ) he may have survived or died in a fall into the ravin

Check this "Since Testa persuaded the forensic doctor in Tarbes not to perform an autopsy on the grounds that the cause of death was clear, the only record of Casartelli's injuries lies in Disteldorf's report to the coroner. But Testa echoed the Porte line on helmets, saying that even with his usual helmet "he would not have survived". "

I take your point re the deaths here. However deaths due to head injury are a rare as rocking horse [censored]!

I still maintain get rid of helmets!

🙂

alfeng said:

Let me repeat this for you [gavin11756] & anyone who agrees with your line of thinking because apparently you missed it:[indent]Saul Raisin (Credit Agricole) suffered serious head injuries earlier this year DURING A RACE (Circuit de la Sarthe) which would have resulted in his death had he not been wearing a helmet. [/indent]I guess you would have preferred it if he had died ...

No Alfeng I wouldn't and that's a stupid thing to say! I have taken into account there have been a couple of deaths but they are rare. If they allowed the cyclists i the race to have a choice, many would ride without!
🙂

gavin11756 said:

Dead in a bike race because of no helmet ! How! The records show differently!
🙂

As other have said, go ask Saul Rasin