Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 20, 1995 TAG: 9507200052
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: PARIS LENGTH: Medium
Shocked by the first death of a cyclist on the Tour de France in 28 years, riders and officials Wednesday debated whether to require helmets that have been shunned as too hot and uncomfortable.
From countries that require wearing the helmets in races - Belgium and the Netherlands - to Italy, home country of the dead rider, debate raged over whether to wear protective headgear.
Like most of his colleagues, 24-year-old Fabio Casartelli wore only a cloth cap when he crashed during a downhill run on Tuesday's 15th stage of the race and died from severe head injuries.
It was the third death of a rider in the Tour de France since 1903 and the first since 1967.
``He could have saved his life, using a helmet,'' said Francesco Moser, a retired Italian cycling great. Moser acknowledged helmets can be troublesome because of heat, ``but I think cyclists should use helmets at least down dangerous descents.''
Cycling authorities backed off when riders threatened to strike over a 1991 International Cycling Union ruling that they must wear helmets.
``Riders and team leaders said in 1990 that making helmets mandatory could not be done. `Too hot,' the criticism was,'' Hein Verbruggen, the UCI chairman, told the Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper of Brussels.
``In the end, we scrapped the measure. But I told the team leaders they were taking a heavy responsibility,'' the Dutch official said.
Riders complained that hard helmets are heavy and make them sweat, and are uncomfortable on hot mountain climbs.
They protested fines imposed for not wearing helmets in a number of major races, such as the Tour de France, Milan-San Remo and Paris-Nice.
``When helmets were made obligatory, they [the riders] came back with the dangers of heat stroke on hot mountain climbs,'' said cyclist Chris Boardman, who was injured in a fall at the beginning of this year's Tour de France. ``Very few riders consider the plunge down the other side, which is ironic considering that, as we descend at 60 mph, it's probably the place we need helmets most.''
In the Tour DuPont, the premier cycling race in the U.S., helmets are mandatory for participants.
``They are required to wear a helmet in the Tour DuPont; they have no option,'' said Donnavan Young, the vice president of Cycle Roanoke Valley. ``When I saw a couple of days ago the picture of Lance Armstrong finishing second and noticed that he didn't have a helmet on, I asked someone if helmets were required over there. I can't imagine that in that terrain you wouldn't wear a helmet. It looks like the Tour DuPont is more safety-oriented.''
Heinie Kuiper, the assistant manager of Casartelli's Motorola team, argued that because of the heat Tuesday, ``almost none of the riders were wearing helmets.''
Although Casartelli died of head injuries, the chief medical officer of the Tour, Dr. Gerard Porte, said he doubted whether a helmet would have saved him.
Porte explained the shock was at the base of the skull rather than on top of the head.
``There was a driving into the base of the cranium that crushed the vital zones of the brain,'' the doctor said.
Antonio Dal Monte, director of the Science Institute for Sport of the Italian Olympic Committee, argued the helmet ``does not give a 100 percent safety, but in case of accidents it can save lives.''
In the aftermath of Casartelli's death, some Italian senators of the center-right government coalition on Wednesday introduced a bill intended to enforce use of helmets by professional cyclists in Italian races.
Sergio Chiesa, a member of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia group, said the use of helmets in professional races should become compulsory in all countries.
Meanwhile, Casartelli's body arrived at Milan's Linate airport Wednesday afternoon. The coffin was driven to Albese, the resort near Lake Como where Casartelli and his family lived.
Casartelli, the 1992 Olympic road-racing champion, was survived by his wife and 4-month-old son.
The Tour de France held a minute of silence before Wednesday's stage started. The riders have donated all their prize money from Tuesday's stage - about $45,000, which Tour de France organizers matched - to Casartelli's family.
by CNB