Gordon Ramsey wants you to wear a helmet

And - he’s into Specialized, apparently.

https://www.instagram.com/p/C8PYfVNxxFC/?igsh=MWczeXUwYTM5em53NA==

7 Likes

That’s a fair old bruise

3 Likes

The bruise is very serious. I don’t want to imagine what has happened to him. :scream:

1 Like

That does look like an impressive bruise.

Gordon got a lot of press about 10 years ago in the triathlon world with a celebrity spot at Kona. I remember that he finished with a good swim, mediocre bike and a tough run / walk.

Good to see he’s still spending a little time on the bike!

1 Like

Ho-lee-smokes thats savage! :open_mouth:

2 Likes

He was hit by a car I believe.

2 Likes

I see a guy on my commute fairly often, going the opposite direction never wearing a helmet.

On the one hand, I think he is nuts. On the other hand, getting hit by a car on that road is a death sentence regardless, so :woman_shrugging:

But he did start wearing one this past week.

2 Likes

I think you saw an organ donor …

I see so many people where I live on rental bikes with their helmet hanging from the handlebars, it’s a little maddening.

Ramsay can do one.

If we’re going to talk at all, let’s talk about things that make a material difference to safety on the road

Otherwise, I’m out

6 Likes

Don’t see any mention of how he crashed. Guessing he just crashed on his own? Maybe a sketchy corner or going too fast for his ability/conditions? Because I assume if a car was involved that would be mentioned in one of the articles.

This article is a little frustrating to read to be honest. I am all for a nuanced conversation about cycling safety but Boardman, or at least the article, doesn’t really cover the “top 10 things” what we should prioritize to improve cycling safety over wearing helmets other than segregated roads for cycling. Which I am all for but without knowing the nature of Gordon’s crash it is hard to say what preventative measures could have prevented it.

Without having traveled to Netherlands or having a good understanding of cycling culture there my impression regarding to its low head injury rates relative to its low helmet adoption rates seems to be more indicative of what type of riding is being done: e.g commuter bikes where you’re going more leisurely speeds as opposed to road cycling where you can be going 20-30+ MPH (sorry rest of the world).

But I feel like this article treads dangerously close towards a false dilemma of “we don’t need helmet laws, we need more bike paths”. Without knowing the nature of Gordon’s crash it could have been a number of things:

  • Bike Handling Skills
  • Group Riding Skills
  • Equipment Failure
  • Riding Predictability
  • Collision with a motor vehicle (Which could have been mitigated with segregated infrastructure for cycling)
  • Debris
  • Just plain bad luck

Are there takeaways about cycling safety from Gordon’s crash other than wear a helmet? Maybe but uncertain until we ever get more details.

Did a helmet help Gordon here? Most certainly.

9 Likes

Boardman should leave the road/rider safety issues to more serious people.

5 Likes

You think Chris Boardman - who led the development of Manchester’s extensive cycling network from scratch, is now the head of the UKs active transport body and who’s own mother was killed by a motorist while out on her local clubrun - should leave this issue to more serious people?

That’s an amazing opinion, even by the standards of internet forums. Chapeau.

17 Likes

That bruise covers the entire side, not a spot left. Insane.

1 Like

It’s not my fault if he’s not good at making his case. Why can’t we do both?

I have literally met zero people who said they never got into cycling because of helmet laws and such, but every cyclist I know who has had a serious accident in the past is always thankful that they were wearing a helmet.

Also, what’s the effn big deal about the government making helmet use mandatory? It is similar to wearing a seatbelt while driving.

3 Likes

There’s a huge difference between public policy recommendations and personal recommendations.

The inability to separate these two is what creates the unnecessary controversy around bike helmets.

2 Likes

Now you know, at least online, one who isn’t thankful he was wearing a helmet in a serious accident (LC1 fracture). Mostly because I didn’t hit the helmet, or my head. (Got less bruising than Ramsey, the body can be funny that way). I still occasionally take the helmet off when climbing a hill in the heat. And I’ve very occasionally actually forgotten to put the thing on… try it sometime, it actually really is great riding along with no helmet on. Not enough that I skip it regularly, but I understand the draw.

2 Likes

While true, i’s very simple. If i get into an accident, I’ll be glad i’m wearing a helmet, even if it only lowers the chance of serious head injury by a couple %. On my racing bike that is. As a Dutchy, i still don’t wear a helmet when on a commuter. But i probably would if i was to live somewhere where cycling infrastructure isn’t a great as over here.

Helmet Laws would for sure impact commuting and riding for errands at least where I live. Public policy for cycling should always have Cycling as a form of Transportation in mind and then as a distant second cycling as a sport.
Advocating for helmet use is totally fine and I’m all for it and I try to wear a helmet as often as possible, but I’m also not always wearing one when getting groceries or riding to the Trainstation in the morning. wearing helmets is good but the focus on it also distracts from the most important issues and that is infrastructure…

5 Likes