062102 by Jim Mullins
How many of you have found yourself asking do I really need to wear this helmet today? It is hot and I'm only going on a short ride. I don't like the way that it looks. It is uncomfortable and doesn't fit right. These are all excuses that I have heard before and have even used myself.
As some of you may have heard, this past Tuesday there was an accident in the B field sprint at the Westlake racing series. During this crash, two of our racers went down. If you have been involved in this sport long enough you know that sooner or later things like this happen. Fortunately, both racers were wearing their helmets (which sustained serious damage, did I say serious damage?). Luckily their helmets took most of the damage and saved their heads. Every once in a while we are sent these small reminders of why we wear these uncomfortable, hot, ugly things on top of our heads. In the end, riding without one just doesn't make sense.
Right now all of us in the Club have a tremendous opportunity to improve the quality of our helmets that we wear. Marty's bike shop, one of our sponsors, is offering us a great deal on Bell's new Ghisallo helmets. This is Bell's top of the line helmet and is currently being used by many of the top teams in Europe. Now is a good time to upgrade your helmet or to replace one that has aged. If your helmet is more than three years old it may not be a bad idea to replace it regardless of whether it has been visibly damaged. UV lighting can sometimes take its toll on the materials used in the manufacture of helmets. See Ted for details surrounding the helmet program that the Club is offering.
Helmets, bike parts, clothing—all these items can be replaced, but you can't. Ride safe and be smart out there.