Kivilev one of 20 pro riders that died during a race

As found on www.cyclingnews.com

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Crashes during bicycle races are common, but deaths as a result of crashes are not. Andrei Kivilev became one of approximately 20 professional riders who have died during a race. According to reports from other riders near him, there was a brief stop in the peloton in the town of Saint-Chamond, possibly due to one of the riders having a mechanical problem. Kivilev went straight over the handlebars and hit the ground face first. He was not wearing a helmet. He immediately lapsed into a coma and was flown to Saint-Etienne hospital, where he died some 16 hours later as a result of head injuries.
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What i'm wondering about is, why isn't there a (UCI) rule that every rider should wear a helmet during racing?! It looks to me this unfortunate death could perhaps have been avoided if he was wearing a helmet?

 

Sorry for my bad English! I'm new in this site and I'm french! I am a cyclist (local level in france)

I think that Andreï Kivilev's dead is a very difficult moment to passed for all the cyclists... we can see how our fantastic sport could become horrible and crual... Thaht's why I want to think about his friends and his family (his wife and him have a child, born in september...)

I think that if we are adult and risponsable, we will have to take a helmet when we pratice cycling. But I think that we could'nt oblige a professionnal rider to take a helmet : they are risponsable and could make what they want about their lifes... They are not a danger for the others...

But it(s tragical

 

I cant Understand why they All dont use helmets. Helmets are so good now. The only possible exeption is imo if its 40 deg and Uphill then maybe . Armstrong, Ullrich and many other pros dont wear there helmets on down hills and flats as well , this is a bad example to others i think.

 

I think it's still a peer pressure thing when it comes to helmets, at least in the European peloton. Here in the US the USCF makes wearing helmets mandatory, but because of the majority of riders in Europe not wanting to wear helmets the UCI can't enforce it over there. Maybe some good will come from this tragedy.

 

I completely disagree with Silvain. These guys are not only responsible for themselves but they are role models/celebrities for millions of people (especially kids) who watch races. If they see that these guys are not wearing helmets, but the cool caps, they will want to do the same.

I have always been shocked to see that they could get away with that.

UCI has to oblige them to wear helmets period.

 

I am sure that the helmet debate will continue.

I do want to say that I feel really sad about the death of Andrei Kivilev. He was by all accounts a truly decent man who not only had a great career ahead of him but a wonderful family to go home to at the end of the day. He had apparently trained incredibly hard all winter and was set for an exciting season with some good early results. All these things can be snatched away in a second. It makes you realise how fragile life is and how random death is. RIP Andrei.

 

If cycling was my only income and I had a family to care for, then it makes perfect sense to protect yourself against a catastrophe. There is noting you can do to prevent a broken shoulder bone or broken arm or leg during a crash, but surely helmets are there to minimize the risk of a head injury, which can lead to death (such as in Andrei's case) or leave you to be a vegetable for the rest of your normal life.

I've posted this article before, but here it is again... click here...



RIP Andrei Kivilev

 

Firstly, what happened to Andrei was a terrible tragedy. It is a shame that this has turned into a helmet debate, because the focus should be on what a great rider he was. He was obviously liked and respected by his fellow riders, and this means the most to me.

Having said that, on the helmet business:

I agree with ihollo. Not only are they role models for those who watch, but they are also role models for each other. If a rider thinks he/she can get an advantage over another by not wearing a helmet, then they will not wear a helmet!

Without rules enforcing helmet use, the culture will not change. If everyone is wearing a helmet all of the time, the culture and even peer pressure will swing towards wearing helmets.

Maybe they need incentives, rather than rules (eg x second penalties for riding sans helmet, or x second bonus for wearing one).

 

A very nice gesture from his fellow team mates and countrymen.

 

He paid tribute to andre who died most likely because he was not wearing a helmet by also not wearing one
hope he has someone to pay tribute to him one day if he keeps that up