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Mountain finish: helmet query

josamejosame Posts: 1,057
edited June 2007 in Pro race
Am I right in thinking that riders are still allowed to remove their cycling helmet on the last climb of a stage that finishes at the top of a col?

Didn't seem to happen at the Dauphine and Tour de suisse....
'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'

Posts

  • LangerDanLangerDan Posts: 6,132
    Not for some years now. Riders have to keep their helmets on for the entire stage.
    <font size="1">"Hincapie's Disco pants are the best,
    They go from his censored to his chest,
    They're better than 'Sandro Ballans.
    Hincapie's Disco pants"</font id="size1">
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • NoodleyNoodley Posts: 1,725
    IIRC this dispensation has been removed and helmets must be worn at all times - I may be wrong.

    (edit - looks like I was right [;)])
  • monty_dogcpmonty_dogcp Posts: 382
    The new rules were introduced at the beginning of last year
  • josamejosame Posts: 1,057
    thanks for answers.
    'Do not compare your bike to others, for always there will be greater and lesser bikes'
  • DaveyLDaveyL Posts: 5,167
    I think the 2004 TdF was the last TdF with this rule - I distinctly remember Lance and Valverde duking it out at the top of Courchevel with helmets on in 2005. It's great to watch "old" footage of pros climbing in caps or bare-headed. I don't see the problem with the rule if it is a mountain-top finish, but for some reason they have changed it.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • afx237viafx237vi Posts: 12,630
    They changed it because some riders used to arrive at the foot of the final climb and just throw their helmets on the floor - and I think I'm right in saying that helmets are designed to take only one impact before they have to be replaced?

    I remember Axel Merckx and someone else being chucked out of Paris-Nice for taking their helmets of for the climb of Mont Faron.
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