wasnt that the one where Gee or Dan got pulled over for speeding on their bike wearing a skinsuit?one of the animal/commencal podcasts from last season showed all of them road riding in so cal w/out helmets .
wasnt that the one where Gee or Dan got pulled over for speeding on their bike wearing a skinsuit?one of the animal/commencal podcasts from last season showed all of them road riding in so cal w/out helmets .
I gotta call BS on that. People think about the risks and ramifications to THEMSELVES, not to their family, everyone that will have to have higher insurance costs, the laws that will have to be enacted to prevent suits, and all the other associated costs (medical, transportation, etc). As a Safety Engineer (there are a lot of names for what role I might be in, but I just finished my Master's in Safety) I would have to recommend rules, laws, procedures and such to either law-making authorities or insurance companies. If I had a situation like the above, what choice do I have but to recommend that there be laws about helmets and seatbelts? Obviously people aren't smart enough individually to do this, so in a civilization or society we have to have laws that "force" people to do this. On the whole people are rather dumb, and society has to protect them from themselves.People almost always know the risks and ramifications of their actions.
Typical stuff you expect to hear. Not a helmet thread, please, i beg.
http://dirtmag.co.uk/news/category/press%20release/rachel-atherton-crashes-into-car/dirt-1234419.html"Rach hit a car at the beginning of a time trial, head down sprinting. She saw it last minute and they both swerved the wrong way. She is lucky to be alive honestly. She goes for MRI tomorrow"
Well, it just goes back to what I said. I agree that it's a business, we can't eliminate all risk, and we have to decide what is acceptable. When the bottom line comes to cost (suits, insurance, transportation, etc), rules and regulations will be enacted. I never said that I'm the "safest" person out there, but it's proven that people can't help themselves, and they're not very intelligent on the whole. The same people design systems, and the same people are supposed to catch errors and not let bad things happen, but they do. Someone has to step in or it's chaos.Typical stuff you expect to hear. Not a helmet thread, please, i beg.
fwiw,
I have two friends with "Masters in Public Health From Prestigious Ivy League Scools" both of them have worked for the W.H.O.
Both ride without helmets, and I expect the cute one cruises airport stalls for action. Hell, I used to receive a pay-check from the Mass Brain Injury Assoc to assist in running program they put on for TBI.
Safety is a business just like any other.
Statistical correlation is relatively un-interesting to me. I just want people to ride more bikes (for public health reasons too, a much larger one, obesity and hypertension)
No flaming intended
Champion British mountain biker hurt after hitting pickup near Corralitos
By Jennifer Squires - Sentinel Staff Writer
Posted: 01/19/2009 06:50:14 PM PST
CORRALITOS - A world champion cyclist was recovering Monday after she hit a pickup head-on and dislocated her shoulder about a mile into a training ride Sunday afternoon.
Rachel Atherton, a 21-year-old from Great Britain, was biking northbound in the southbound lanes of Amesti Road just south of Browns Valley Road when the crash occurred, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Atherton, who won the elite UCI Downhill Mountain Bike World Championship in June, had just started a 14-mile loop with her brothers and teammates, Dan and George Atherton. Apparently, she drifted into the wrong lane while rounding a corner and came into the path of a southbound 1999 Ford Ranger pickup, the CHP reported.
"I was head-down pedaling at the start of the ride, not more than a minute in when I looked up and saw a truck," Atherton said. "Automatically (I) swerved to avoid it, but the driver swerved the same way and before I knew it we were too close to avoid each other, so I braced to take some of the impact."
Atherton hit the windshield on the passenger side of the pickup, shattering the glass into a spider-web pattern.
She dislocated her shoulder and suffered cuts to her head and face, and was flown to San Jose Medical Center for treatment. Monday, she was scheduled to see a specialist about her shoulder injury, according to Dan Brown, the manager of the her team, Animal Commencal.
Apparently, Atherton's new Cervelo road bike took the brunt of the damage, Brown wrote in a posting on the team's Web site.
"I feel so lucky that I didn't come off any worse than I did," Atherton said. "There was a lot of blood and cuts but it is not too bad."
The CHP reported she was not wearing a helmet. However, CHP officer Hugh Holden pointed out cyclists over 18 are not required to wear a helmet even though most serious cyclists choose to use the safety equipment.
The crash remains under investigation.
Holden said it appears Atherton was at fault for the collision, but said it was unlikely she would be cited for riding on the wrong side of the road.
"She's the one that made the error. She's the one that got hurt. To add insult to injury, we don't normally issue a citation," Holden said.
Atherton has been in Santa Cruz with her brothers training since the beginning of the year. She is preparing for the mountain biking World Cup Series, which begins in April.
In January, Singletrack magazine awarded Atherton the title Mountain Biker of the Year for the second year in a row and last month, she was named BBC Midlands Sportswoman of the Year.
Contact Jennifer Squires at 429-2449 or jsquires@santacruzsentinel.com.
must be a glitch in the Matrix. try not to let it bother youDid anyone else notice the beginning of the video put the date as April 18, 2009?
18 or older are not required to wear a helmet. It is a bad idea though on both fronts.Hope Rachel heals up fast!
Also, IMHO riding with earphones is 1) arguably a bad idea and 2) probably illegal in CA (VC Section 27400), but perhaps most importantly for the average joe, even if negligent driving was the only cause of the accident, the driver's insurance company would likely be able to assign some/all responsibility to the rider and make any compensation for damages rather difficult to procure. But this is neither here nor there. Best to Rachel, that had to be one terrifying accident!
its such a bad idea on so many levels to wear headphones while riding on the road or even in the mountains18 year old or not for helmet, still probably not supposed to wear headphones.
His middle name is Willikers.so Gee's name is Geore huh....i didnt think someone could name their kid Gee.
thats peculiar...Gee Willikers Atherton...His middle name is Willikers.
I disagree...Riding with one in is generally fine. I ride road with my right earbud in.its such a bad idea on so many levels to wear headphones while riding on the road or even in the mountains
If you follow pro road racing at all, you'd note that in pics of training camps and such, many and sometimes most riders on ProTour teams train without helmets in normal conditions. I did just read, however, that Rabobank has fines if riders are caught training without a helmet. Perhaps other teams have similar policies, but it seems that most don't.18 or older are not required to wear a helmet. It is a bad idea though on both fronts.
There is no stipulations from sponsors that they have to wear helmets when riding any bike? If I were a company putting down a good amount of money on a pro rider I would have that in bold on my contract.
that would be a headphone then....i guess one isnt bad, but having them both in is jsut asking for troubleI disagree...Riding with one in is generally fine. I ride road with my right earbud in.
I just use the cheapie ones that came with my iPhone. I also have some nicer Skullcandy earbuds, but they cancel out the ambient noise too much. Hell, I was a bike messenger doing this and lived...that would be a headphone then....i guess one isnt bad, but having them both in is jsut asking for trouble
I don't. It is good to hear that teams might fine some riders for not wearing a helmet. They are ambassadors to the sport.If you follow pro road racing at all
I can't say it enough. That guy is a slimy demagogue.Check this out.......James really knows a thing or two about producing athletes, and his take on Rachel's accident is but intelligent and ammusing...rage on e-folk! James hit the nail square here..... hahaha!
http://bikejames.com/cardio-training/why-was-she-out-there-in-the-first-place/
Demagogue! What a word...hahah! I thought the US of A is all about dem ther' demagogues!I can't say it enough. That guy is a slimy demagogue.
Check this out.......James really knows a thing or two about producing athletes, and his take on Rachel's accident is but intelligent and ammusing...rage on e-folk! James hit the nail square here..... hahaha!
http://bikejames.com/cardio-training/why-was-she-out-there-in-the-first-place/