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