Kivilev one of 20 pro riders that died during a race

DevilMan · Mar 12, 2003

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?

steve · Mar 12, 2003

Originally posted by DevilMan

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?
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Your right with that comment, its law here in Australia I don't mind wearing one.

There is another news story HERE

Kazakh cyclist Andrei Kivilev (Cofidis) has died in St Etienne as a result of injuries sustained in a crash during the second stage of Paris-Nice. Kivilev crashed with approximately 40 kilometres to go in the stage, together with teammate Marek Rutkiewicz and Gerolsteiner's Volker Ordowski, both of whom were relatively unhurt. Kivilev immediately went into a coma and was taken to St Etienne hospital where he was diagnosed with a fractured skull and two broken ribs.

Kivilev remained in a coma during Tuesday night, and the Cofidis team doctor reported that his condition worsened over the course of the night. The team reported that he died on Wednesday morning at 10am, also stating that Cofidis would continue in the race. "After a drama like this, everyone decided that it's better that we remain in the race," said a team statement.

The 29 year old Kazakh climber, born on September 21, 1973, turned professional in 1998 with Festina, transferred to Ag2r-Prevoyance in 2000, then Cofidis in 2001. He won two races in his five year career: stage 5 in the Dauphiné Libéré and the Route Du Sud, both in 2001. That year he also finished 4th in the Tour de France, probably his best known achievement. His other accomplishments include 3rd in the Tour du Haut Var (2003), 3rd in the Route du Sud (2002), 4th in Clasica San Sebastian and Paris-Nice (2002), and 5th in the Dauphiné Libéré (2001 and 2002).
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cheers!

steve · Mar 12, 2003

sylvain007 · Mar 12, 2003

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

GearGrinder · Mar 12, 2003

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.

Thorman · Mar 12, 2003

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.

ihollo · Mar 12, 2003

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.

peterwright · Mar 13, 2003

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.

Vo2 · Mar 13, 2003

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

steve · Mar 13, 2003

Originally posted by Vo2
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...

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Thats a good link.... i've read that Kivilev's crash looked pretty minor, I guess he landed the wrong way? No doubt a $50 bit of foam might have ment he'd be racing for yellow in the TDF later this year.

cheers!

steve · Mar 16, 2003

Cyclingnews.com have put together a great page HERE

cheers!

RideToEat · Mar 16, 2003

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:

Originally posted by ihollo
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.

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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).

RalleighOke · Mar 17, 2003

As found on Supercycling
Vinokourov dedicates win to Kivilev

Posted on Monday, March 17, 2003 - 10:08

Kazakhstan's Alexandre Vinokourov of the Telekom team dedicated his emotional victory in Paris-Nice on Sunday to his compatriot Andrei Kivilev who died four days earlier.
The 29-year-old Vinokourov, won the race for the second year in a row after finishing in the peloton on Sunday's stage to ensure overall victory over Spaniard Mikel Zarrabeitia with Italy's Davide Rebellin in third.

The race was marred by the fatal head injuries suffered by Cofidis rider Kivilev after crashing on Tuesday's second stage.

Vinokourov revealed that the other Cofidis riders had agreed on Thursday to help him win the race following Kivilev's death.

"When I saw after the Mont Faron stage that I could win the race, I talked to Frederic Bessy, Nico Mattan and Philippe Gaumont.

They said 'we can do that for you and for 'Kivi' - it's as if we're riding for him," said Vinokourov.

"They really helped me and I thank them for it."

The Monaco-based winner, who had to overcome a slipped chain, adds this victory to a curriculum vitae that already includes the 1999 Criterium du Dauphine and a silver medal at the Sydney Olympics.

In Sunday's 160km stage around Nice, Vinokourov made sure of outright victory when coming in in the first main pack of riders to cross the line, a group that included the main pretenders to race honours.

Sunday's seventh and final stage went to Spain's David Bernabeu.

Bernabeu tackled the day's last climb with a 1min 20sec cushion over Vinokourov and despite the peloton eating into his lead he still had enough in hand to cross the line a couple of seconds clear of his pursuers.

Kivilev, 29, who came fourth in the 2001 Tour de France, was the first elite cyclist to perish since Spain's Manuel Sanroma in the Tour of Catalonia in 1996.

Kivilev, survived by a wife and son, was not wearing a helmet when he fell around 40km from the finish - a fact which has sparked a fierce debate over whether they should be made compulsory.
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A very nice gesture from his fellow team mates and countrymen.

steve · Mar 17, 2003

CTC says 'no' to helmet compulsion
cyclingnews.com

In the face of renewed calls for helmet use by cyclists to be made mandatory after the tragic death of Andrei Kivilev last week, British national cycle campaign body CTC has issued a statement reiterating its opposition to mandatory helmet use.

The CTC points out that mandatory helmet use tends to reduce the number of cyclists, saying that helmet laws caused cycling levels to drop by 30 per cent in Australia while head injuries fell by only 11 per cent. The injury risk for those who continue to cycle has risen and in some parts of Australia, injury rates are at an all time high.

The CTC also points out that:

* Helmet use in the UK has risen from close to zero to 22 per cent between 1985 and 1999 but there was no detectable change in fatalities or serious injury rates for cyclists.

* Helmets are designed to protect in falls not crashes with vehicles. More than 90 per cent of serious injuries and fatalities involve impacts with vehicles.

*Helmets are not designed to protect areas of the head which account for more than half the figures for injuries to cyclists.

* The countries with the lowest risk of any injury when cycling are those where helmet use is minimal (eg the Netherlands).

*The most effective way to reduce the likelihood of injury when cycling is to increase the number of people who cycle.
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GearGrinder · Mar 17, 2003

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

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