Recently, a non-violent protest occurred
along the banks of Merri Creek in Melbourne. The group – Freestyle Cyclists.
Their cause – the right to ride a bike without a helmet. Imagine riding along
with your hair blowing in the wind, the dappled sunlight falling on the top of
your head, and not finishing a ride with sweaty helmet hair. Quite an idyllic
picture yes?
Exactly the image you conjured up?
I am not sure how many of you get the
magazine, The Melbourne Weekly Review, every week in your letterbox. Within the
magazine there are my favourite sections – naturally these include the
Epicurean coffee and food reviews. However, I also enjoy reading the editor’s
comments by Virginia Trioli found within the first few pages. Her writing is
sharp, poignant, witty, relevant, and while I may not agree with all her
viewpoints, I do love her ability to capture an issue concisely (what was that
Harvard fact about goldfish and 6 seconds?!).
A few weeks ago Virginia wrote about the
Freestyle Cyclists and made a clear argument not against their protest, but was
very much in favour of how as individuals within a society, we have
responsibilities. These responsibilities include wearing seatbelts and helmets.
There were many comments opposed
to her arguments of societal responsibilities - how wearing helmets doesn’t
actually decrease costs to our health system, can somehow boost our activity
levels, and how Europeans/US communities haven’t been wearing helmets for
years.
So, the point of this blog and my two
cents. Just over three weeks ago I had my first race of the criterium season;
for those not in the crazy world of lycra, a crit is essentially riding around
and around a closed circuit for a certain period of time. Fun right?! The road
was a little bit damp from rain earlier that morning. We were on bell lap, and
only had a few hundred metres and two corners left till the finish line. I had
positioned myself well, was second female wheel, closely hounding the first
female wheel, was in the front bunch of about 10 cyclists, and would be out of the
wind when it counted. Perfect. Or maybe not.
Firstly there was the sickening sound of carbon against bitumen
in front of me. Panic as Anna unsuccessfully tries to avoid crash right in
front. Realisation that I have nowhere to go and am going to come off too. Pain
in my neck as my head bounces off the ground like a rag doll. Fear given another 30 cyclists
are right behind me. Shock sets in as marshals drag me off the road. Inability
to handle my own blood results in distraction technique of becoming extremely
chatty with anyone who is willing to listen.
To be honest, I was pretty lucky. No bones
broken. Yes to all cyclists out there, my bike was fine; only a few cosmetic
scratches. Lots of gravel rash, a bit of a nasty divot in the ankle (from which
my doctor had great fun using scalpels and scissors to “cut away all the shit
inside” – not sure if I needed to know that the original pair of tweezers
weren’t long or sharp enough…) and a cracked helmet. A cracked helmet that
saved my life.
To crack a helmet requires an extreme
amount of force. Ever tried taking a hammer to one? Something my coach
encouraged me to do to my helmet after I had cracked it. Just to get an
awareness of how hard I had hit my head.
Did wearing a helmet save my life? I
believe so. At the very least, it saved me from a trip to ICU. Thanks and kudos to Specialized!
Am I believer in
helmet laws, even when cycling recreationally? Definitely; every little bit
helps in my books. Wearing a helmet can even help prevent getting an egg on your head; very unsightly for a lady. Admittedly, I am definitely
not adverse to poached eggs on pumpkin polenta bread with thyme mushrooms, avocado
and house-made spicy beans. Sorry, getting distracted by food as per usual.
Until next time,
Ride safe, ride happy, ride in the moment,
and ride with a helmet,
Han
