TdF helmet rule change?

[peter]

ISTR that last year the riders were allowed to remove their helmets at
the foot of the last climb of the day. Yesterday, they were all wearing
them at the finish, has the rule changed so they have to wear them all
the time now?

 

[wafflycat]

"peter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> ISTR that last year the riders were allowed to remove their helmets at
> the foot of the last climb of the day. Yesterday, they were all wearing
> them at the finish, has the rule changed so they have to wear them all
> the time now?
>

Yes

 

[elyob]

"wafflycat" <waffles*A*T*v21net*D*O*T*co*D*O*T*uk> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "peter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> ISTR that last year the riders were allowed to remove their helmets at
>> the foot of the last climb of the day. Yesterday, they were all wearing
>> them at the finish, has the rule changed so they have to wear them all
>> the time now?
>>
>
> Yes
>

I think they can overrule this on particularly hot days.

 

[JohnB]

elyob wrote:

> > "peter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> > news:[email protected]...
> >> ISTR that last year the riders were allowed to remove their helmets at
> >> the foot of the last climb of the day. Yesterday, they were all wearing
> >> them at the finish, has the rule changed so they have to wear them all
> >> the time now?
> >>
> >
> > Yes
>
> I think they can overrule this on particularly hot days.

Or if the rider is French ;-)

John B

 

[Simonb]

elyob wrote:

> I think they can overrule this on particularly hot days.

When, of course, there is suddenly and miraculously no need to 'protect'
from head injury.

 

[Simonb]

JohnB wrote:

> Or if the rider is French ;-)

I think this one applies to drafting team cars, too.

 

[JLB]

elyob wrote:
> "wafflycat" <waffles*A*T*v21net*D*O*T*co*D*O*T*uk> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>
>>"peter" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>news:[email protected]...
>>
>>>ISTR that last year the riders were allowed to remove their helmets at
>>>the foot of the last climb of the day. Yesterday, they were all wearing
>>>them at the finish, has the rule changed so they have to wear them all
>>>the time now?
>>>
>>
>>Yes
>>
>
>
> I think they can overrule this on particularly hot days.
>


I suppose there are statistics to show that there is far less risk of
hitting your head on a particularly hot day. Or is it that the skull is
much more effective then?

--
Joe * If I cannot be free I'll be cheap

 

[elyob]

"Simonb" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> elyob wrote:
>
>> I think they can overrule this on particularly hot days.
>
> When, of course, there is suddenly and miraculously no need to 'protect'
> from head injury.

Or they'll die from exhaustion instead.

 

[Tilly]

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 15:03:54 +0100, JLB <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I suppose there are statistics to show that there is far less risk of
>hitting your head on a particularly hot day. Or is it that the skull is
>much more effective then?

Tarmac softens with heat.

 

[JohnB]

Tilly wrote:
>
> On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 15:03:54 +0100, JLB <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
> >I suppose there are statistics to show that there is far less risk of
> >hitting your head on a particularly hot day. Or is it that the skull is
> >much more effective then?
>
> Tarmac softens with heat.

LOL

John B

 

[Simonb]

Simon Brooke wrote:

> Surely it's a simple recognition of the fact that a helmet is /at/
> /best/ a safety trade off, and that the risk of death through
> heatstroke on hot days with a helmet exceeds the presumed risk of
> death though collision without.
>
> One can honestly believe in the magical protective powers of
> polystyrene and at the same time be aware of its thermal insulation
> properties, too.

Nah. It's just more airtime for the helmet manufacturers which are big
players in the TDF bandwagon. Plus they get into the stills when the riders
cross the mountaintop finishes.

 

[MartinM]

Simonb wrote:
> JohnB wrote:
>
> > Or if the rider is French ;-)
>
> I think this one applies to drafting team cars, too.

the hat was a mess though

ISTR it's only the last 5km
BTW the man leaning out of Vino's team car adjusting his transponder
wasn't wearing one

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>,
MartinM ('[email protected]') wrote:

> Simonb wrote:
>> JohnB wrote:
>>
>> > Or if the rider is French ;-)
>>
>> I think this one applies to drafting team cars, too.
>
> the hat was a mess though
>
> ISTR it's only the last 5km
> BTW the man leaning out of Vino's team car adjusting his transponder
> wasn't wearing one

Removing his transponder. Wow, that was impressive. I'm always bloody
impressed when those mechanics lean out of a car window and adjust
things on a fast moving bike, but that close to the spokes it's an
especially courageous thing to do.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; ... exposing the violence incoherent in the system...

 

[JohnB]

MartinM wrote:
>
> Simonb wrote:
> > JohnB wrote:
> >
> > > Or if the rider is French ;-)
> >
> > I think this one applies to drafting team cars, too.
>
> the hat was a mess though
>
> ISTR it's only the last 5km

That was the case last year for stages that finished at the top of
climbs, but AIUI it was changed from the beginning of this year as part
of the ProTour rules.
Riders were throwing their helmets off in the last 5km of a climb and
then using them the next day when they could have been damaged.

Of course it could also have been dangerous for any unhelmeted
spectators who may have been hit by flying polystyrene.

I think the commissaires of an event can still exercise some discretion
when it is exceptionaly hot.

John B

 

[dkahn400]

JohnB wrote:

> Riders were throwing their helmets off in the last 5km of a climb
> and then using them the next day when they could have been damaged.

I'm sure the manufacturers were not too happy with the spectacle of
their helmets being discarded with such obvious enthusiasm. Of course,
this will have had no bearing whatsoever on the rule change.

--
Dave...

 

[Tony Raven]

JohnB wrote:
>
> I think the commissaires of an event can still exercise some discretion
> when it is exceptionaly hot.
>

This is France. The rules are whatever they want them to be at any
particular moment in time ;-)

--
Tony

"I did make a mistake once - I thought I'd made a mistake but I hadn't"
Anon

 

[Mark]

On 2005-07-13, MartinM <[email protected]> wrote:
> Simonb wrote:
>> JohnB wrote:
>>
>> > Or if the rider is French ;-)
>>
>> I think this one applies to drafting team cars, too.
>
> the hat was a mess though
>
> ISTR it's only the last 5km

Riders were allowed to remove their helmets at the foot of the last
climb of the day if it was a) *at least* 5km long (rather than just
being able to remove them for the last 5km), and b) had a mountaintop
finish.

Mark

 

[MartinM]

Simon Brooke wrote:
> in message <[email protected]>,
> MartinM ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
> > Simonb wrote:
> >> JohnB wrote:
> >>
> >> > Or if the rider is French ;-)
> >>
> >> I think this one applies to drafting team cars, too.
> >
> > the hat was a mess though
> >
> > ISTR it's only the last 5km
> > BTW the man leaning out of Vino's team car adjusting his transponder
> > wasn't wearing one
>
> Removing his transponder. Wow, that was impressive. I'm always bloody
> impressed when those mechanics lean out of a car window and adjust
> things on a fast moving bike, but that close to the spokes it's an
> especially courageous thing to do.

Yes Phil and Paul remarked that he would be several "serieux" of beer
the better last night for that piece of heroism. It will probably be on
Monday's highlights, well worth watching.