So my earlier thread / too many injuries enough now - really bad news and it feels they delayed it…cynical

[2manyoranges]

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/fundr...-spinal-injury-from-rampage-finals-crash.html

 

[wynne]

I agree with your views on this. I bet there is pressure on riders from every direction to compete in these events.

I respected Manon Carpenter when she retired. It takes real bottle to say no.

 

[bikeworkshop]

I dont get why red bull isn't fully liable.
It's not like they can't afford it, and they made it happen.

 

[Frankenorange]

they made it happen.

They provide the course and the prize, but they didn't make anyone do it. It would be a fine gesture if they do help the guy out, but it will just be the same as a lot of sports where you sign on the dotted line that you take reaponsibility , for what you do, and the organiser is off the hook. Of the hook as long as what saftey measures were taken that could be taken, anyway.
Maybe from now on there will be height limits, to the drop offs, as i think that is where the problem lies. Maybe an outright ban on more than one somersault? Maybe only one direction of rotation?

The riders choose to ride Rampage and not just ride it, but attempt, and in most cases succeed, to do more crazy tricks than the the other riders. What is at fault is the human condition of wanting to always test the limits of height, distance, speed, etc for no other reason than have other humans clap. What we do as humans is really quite odd and i don't think there are any other creatures that do mad, life threatening things, like we do unless they really have to for food, or save their skins.

Although a lot of people would agree that it is sad that this poor chap is now disabled they would also wonder why on earth they do what they do. Some would probably say, well serves him right and great job on messing up other peoples lives who now have to look after you for the next 50 years.

What i would like to see; if there is any good to come out of this sad incident is a proper study of what injuries the helmet design may have caused.

Did the visor contribute to snapping the head back for example?

I say this because it has reminded me of a rally car crash where the navigator ended up disabled. The crash was incredibly violent and for some reason the navigator moved forward a great deal, towards the windscreen. Maybe the harness broke/stretched?.
Anyway....he was wearing an open face helmet that had a visor and the visor wedged between the horizontal tube of the rollcage, that bridges behind the top of the a-pillars, and the roof. The visor didn't breakaway sufficiently and effectively bent his head and neck back ,in a way nature did not intend, as the body was still moving forward.

In the last year, or so, i have played around with a whole bunch of different helmets and I was really quite surprised at how some visors are quite resistant to breaking off. The dodgy ones , that i question the safety of, are the helmets that have a moulded lip that the visor butts up against. Looks all smooth and stuff, but surely that is asking for trouble?

Maybe, one day, Virginia Tech will stop ******* about doing tests with head dummies that don't have hair, a cotton cap, a beanie, etc ,that affect real world helmet performnce, and do a visor breakaway test.

 

[bikeworkshop]

I get that, but it's a bit like letting the dealers off and criminalising only the users.

Mind you, I think the UCI was guiltier than Lance - they knew what was happening, but got none of the blame.