Helmets

Lance Armstrong, after undergoing teshuva, is now squarely behind New York City's bid for the 2012 Olympics. He came to Central Park yesterday to make that clear and to ride around the park on behalf of some biking-related organization. So far, all good.

My beef with Lance is that he rode around the park without a helmet. This picture was run in at least two local newspapers (that I know of, probably many more). Thousands of kids are going to see the picture and the picture sends a bad message: It's OK to ride without a helmet.

I personally know of three people who were very seriously hurt because they had biking accidents and weren't wearing helmets. One is still in a coma and the other two required months if not years of rehab.

It's idiotic to ride a bike without a helmet, no matter how good a rider you are. I never so much as ride around the corner without mine and I'm a pretty decent rider. (An aside: So many people who do wear helmets have helmets that don't fit properly. All helmets should be fitted by someone who knows what he is doing).

Lance missed an opportunity.