Originally Posted by
Six jours
The Bicycle Club of Irvine is one of the oldest - and certainly one of the largest - bike clubs in Southern California. Hundreds of riders show up for their weekend rides. I once showed up without a helmet, and took all kinds of abuse, including foul-mouthed insults. One guy put his face about ten inches in front of mine and yelled (literally) that riding without a helmet was against the rules and that he would not allow me to ride. Other people intervened before it came to blows but everyone did insist that the club forbade bare-headed participation, and several people claimed that the club would lose its liability insurance if I rode without a helmet.
Eventually, the club founder and president had to stand up and make a speech about the fact that the insurer had nothing at all to say about helmets and that the club had no rule about it one way or another. The entire experience sums up, for me, the level of knowledge (and manners) of the typical cyclist around here. It may also explain my attitude toward the "Just buy a helmet and wear it" posts on BF.
Until about 5 years ago the Hancock Horizontal Hundred, which started back in the 70s, did not require helmets. Then of course the nannies took over and started requiring them...and I haven't participated since. Welcome to the new normal, nannies using insurance premiums and other "administrative" means as to force their nanny agendas when they can't do it via passing laws due to popular opposition. But of course the nannies will tell you that some powerful lobbying organization is why they can't get national helmet laws passed.
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"Let us hope our weapons are never needed --but do not forget what the common people knew when they demanded the Bill of Rights: An armed citizenry is the first defense, the best defense, and the final defense against tyranny. If guns are outlawed, only the government will have guns. Only the police, the secret police, the military, the hired servants of our rulers. Only the government -- and a few outlaws. I intend to be among the outlaws" - Edward Abbey