Professional Cycling For the Fans - When did they start wearing helmets in Le Tour?

I'm fairly new to cycling, and this is only my 2nd year paying attention to Le Tour....so I am not a long-time follower.


However....I see them doing clips from what is probably less than 10 years ago and the cyclers (many same riders as now, like LA and JU) are not wearing helmets. These are only from 90s at oldest.

So...'about when did they start wearing helmets? Just curious.

All the time? 2003. Although you were allowed to take it off on mountain finishes longer than 5km. Now it seems they got rid of that.

I don't like it.

UCI tried once in 1991, failed.

Enforced for good after Kivilev's death in 2003.

All the time? 2003. Although you were allowed to take it off on mountain finishes longer than 5km. Now it seems they got rid of that.

I don't like it.

Yeah, split open skulls are better TV. It promotes wearing helmets to the public and prevents deaths like Kivilev (and many before him), even if people are too stupid to know what's good for them. Helmets are uncool, ask Indian Larry.

I'd like to see each rider paint his helemt in distinctive colors/patterns, like they do in F1 -it would make it easier to tell riders apart on the same team.

Enforced for good after Kivilev's death in 2003.
And when he is coherent again, ask Manuel Beltran if it is a good idea.

And when he is coherent again, ask Manuel Beltran if it is a good idea.


Excellent point.

How come I thought it was due to Fabio Casartelli's death?

Cause he was on Lances Team and was Lances friend, and You know how important anything to do with Lance is ;)

Yeah, split open skulls are better TV. It promotes wearing helmets to the public and prevents deaths like Kivilev (and many before him), even if people are too stupid to know what's good for them. Helmets are uncool, ask Indian Larry.

I'd like to see each rider paint his helemt in distinctive colors/patterns, like they do in F1 -it would make it easier to tell riders apart on the same team.
You misunderstood my post. Look at what I wrote.

"Although you were allowed to take it off on mountain finishes longer than 5km. Now it seems they got rid of that.

I don't like it."

I don't like the fact that they got rid of the mountain top finish rule. Nobody is going to split their skull open going eight miles an hour up a mountain.

You misunderstood my post. Look at what I wrote.

Nobody is going to split their skull open going eight miles an hour up a mountain.

I'm reading what you write...it's absolutely wrong.

A fall off a bike _while stationary_ is enough to kill you in a head injury, just 5-6ft to pavement, it's seen very frequently in ER in summers. Same idea as slipping on ice in winter while walking. Even in race courses, they are surrounded by cars and motorbikes zipping around, and ANY sprint is dangerous.

Nothing is more awful than seeing a healthy athelete killed over a $40 hat, even in a sport as tech and equipment driven as cycling.

No helmet. No bike.

bike.no helmet.no brain.