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September 4, 2021: Wear Your Helmet, Damn it

I have been accused of being both a helmet Nazi and a helmet extremist a number of times because of my insistence that bicyclists and horseback riders wear helmets. My viewpoint has made me a very unpopular individual in some circles. Sad to say, I sometimes get support for my rather unyielding stance. And no, I’m not going to budge.

First, a few weeks ago my mentor and former teacher, Frank Soos, died in a bicycling accident in Maine. I don’t have the details – but one person said that he had previously had a few concussions and that perhaps this time around his wheel came off.


Terri with new Icelandic and Alys with Raudi


I suspect that, yes, Frank was wearing a helmet because he was aware of the dangers that go hand-in-hand with bicycle touring. But then again, maybe not. Either way, his death alludes to the fact that bicycle touring is not a sport without its dangers. Best to be wearing a helmet.

Then today, I got an email from my horseback riding buddy Terri saying that she came off Joe, her older Tennessee Walker a few days ago. Three horses and their riders rushed up behind her. Joe spooked and she came off. She was wearing a helmet. She said that otherwise she would have been killed.

Terri suffered from a brain bleed and a concussion. Last year she came here and rode with a friend who rode Joe and wasn’t wearing a helmet. I simply asked her if she wore one and she said no, that she’d just retired from a job where she had to wear a hard hat all the time. We went for a ride on our trails, and I let the matter drop. Still, my question (and it was a question) created some tension between us and so she left our place as soon as we got back from our ride.

Terri and I (a few weeks back) talked about Felipe who rode the length of the North American and South American continents a few years back. He refused to wear a helmet or endorse wearing helmets. I said that Clara, his girlfriend, could have photos taken of herself on Raudi if she put on a helmet. Felipe said no, that his sponsors (those that supply him with hats) would be opposed to the idea.

Since that day in Fairbanks, Felipe has been a relentless self-advertiser. He’s obviously embraced the cowboy hat way, and from what I can tell, has encouraged many others to do the same thing.

I did not ever pursue the matter with him either – but it is my hope that he comes to his senses, not in an accident, but rather in a revelatory way.

Me, I always wear a helmet. One day about a month ago, I forgot to put mine on (I have three of them) and the entire time I was on edge.

I hope that lots of individuals are reading this dispatch, and further hope that it is getting them to think. We have two arms and two legs, but alas, just one head.

Next: 245. 9/5/21: What (more) to do on a rainy day

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