When is cycling "dangerous"?

A very successful bike racer in his 60's said this to me today as we
discussed the relative dangers of cycling. Some of his friends tell him
that cycling is dangerous, training on roads with cars should be
avoided, as is having optional, but potentially dangerous surgery to
enhance one's life, etc.

On occasion he asks a person how they would feel about getting on a
bike, doing an all out sprint to say, 35mph, and then throwing
themselves over the bars and onto the ground, and would they do it for
$10,000?

No one has yet said they would, yet bike racers pay an entry fee 20-50
times a year with the understanding that exactly this scenario could
occur except they will not get $10,000 for it. So what is the real
danger, and what causes us to draw the line in a different place for
different scenarios?

-WG

"warren" wrote in message
...
A very successful bike racer in his 60's said this to me today as we
discussed the relative dangers of cycling. Some of his friends tell him
that cycling is dangerous, training on roads with cars should be
avoided, as is having optional, but potentially dangerous surgery to
enhance one's life, etc.

On occasion he asks a person how they would feel about getting on a
bike, doing an all out sprint to say, 35mph, and then throwing
themselves over the bars and onto the ground, and would they do it for
$10,000?


Heck, that has happened to me for free
Dave

"Dave H" wrote in message
...

"warren" wrote in message
...
A very successful bike racer in his 60's said this to me today as we
discussed the relative dangers of cycling. Some of his friends tell him
that cycling is dangerous, training on roads with cars should be
avoided, as is having optional, but potentially dangerous surgery to
enhance one's life, etc.

On occasion he asks a person how they would feel about getting on a
bike, doing an all out sprint to say, 35mph, and then throwing
themselves over the bars and onto the ground, and would they do it for
$10,000?


Heck, that has happened to me for free
Dave

I did better then that when I got hit head on by that car on the wrong side
of the road, which I went flying over the top of car like superman. Didn't
get hurt, so I must be superman, without a helmet as well.

yep, we would not do it for any amount of money. We always leave home
thinking it wont happen to us. I remember one morning when the sun was
coming up over the ridges and the sky was crystal clear on one of those
mornings that only god could create. Well, things suddenly went wrong and I
was on the road getting splattered. When all done I spent a little time in
the ER and came away with only a broken collar bone, 7 broken ribs and a
punctured lung. Hellofa fun day and would not chose to do it again for any
sum of money.


"warren" wrote in message
...
A very successful bike racer in his 60's said this to me today as we
discussed the relative dangers of cycling. Some of his friends tell him
that cycling is dangerous, training on roads with cars should be
avoided, as is having optional, but potentially dangerous surgery to
enhance one's life, etc.

On occasion he asks a person how they would feel about getting on a
bike, doing an all out sprint to say, 35mph, and then throwing
themselves over the bars and onto the ground, and would they do it for
$10,000?

No one has yet said they would, yet bike racers pay an entry fee 20-50
times a year with the understanding that exactly this scenario could
occur except they will not get $10,000 for it. So what is the real
danger, and what causes us to draw the line in a different place for
different scenarios?

-WG

In article , Sierraman
wrote:

"Dave H" wrote in message
...

"warren" wrote in message
...
A very successful bike racer in his 60's said this to me today as we
discussed the relative dangers of cycling. Some of his friends tell him
that cycling is dangerous, training on roads with cars should be
avoided, as is having optional, but potentially dangerous surgery to
enhance one's life, etc.

On occasion he asks a person how they would feel about getting on a
bike, doing an all out sprint to say, 35mph, and then throwing
themselves over the bars and onto the ground, and would they do it for
$10,000?


Heck, that has happened to me for free
Dave

I did better then that when I got hit head on by that car on the wrong side
of the road, which I went flying over the top of car like superman. Didn't
get hurt, so I must be superman, without a helmet as well.

But if someone offered you the $10K in advance would you do it?

-WG

In article ,
warren wrote:

In article , Sierraman
wrote:

"Dave H" wrote in message
...

"warren" wrote in message
...
A very successful bike racer in his 60's said this to me today as we
discussed the relative dangers of cycling. Some of his friends tell him
that cycling is dangerous, training on roads with cars should be
avoided, as is having optional, but potentially dangerous surgery to
enhance one's life, etc.

On occasion he asks a person how they would feel about getting on a
bike, doing an all out sprint to say, 35mph, and then throwing
themselves over the bars and onto the ground, and would they do it for
$10,000?


Heck, that has happened to me for free
Dave

I did better then that when I got hit head on by that car on the wrong side
of the road, which I went flying over the top of car like superman. Didn't
get hurt, so I must be superman, without a helmet as well.

But if someone offered you the $10K in advance would you do it?

-WG

Hm. I'd think about it. But I've crashed at faster speeds than that (off
a motorcycle)

We're talking US dollars, right? After-tax dollars, correct?

young enough to be stupid,
--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.

"IMKen" wrote in message .. .
yep, we would not do it for any amount of money.

I would not do it for any amount of money. Why would anyone? Money
isn't that hard to get a hold of. And no, I'm not rich.

And yes, I think cycling is quite dangerous.

-RJ

"warren" wrote in message
...
A very successful bike racer in his 60's said this to me today as we
discussed the relative dangers of cycling. Some of his friends tell him
that cycling is dangerous, training on roads with cars should be
avoided, as is having optional, but potentially dangerous surgery to
enhance one's life, etc.

On occasion he asks a person how they would feel about getting on a
bike, doing an all out sprint to say, 35mph, and then throwing
themselves over the bars and onto the ground, and would they do it for
$10,000?

No one has yet said they would, yet bike racers pay an entry fee 20-50
times a year with the understanding that exactly this scenario could
occur except they will not get $10,000 for it. So what is the real
danger, and what causes us to draw the line in a different place for
different scenarios?

-WG

****, I'd do that for 10G in a heartbeat.

If you can get the money together, I'll do it.

If you want to tape it and sell the tape, I'm fine with that too.

Let me know.

warren wrote in message ...
A very successful bike racer in his 60's said this to me today as we
discussed the relative dangers of cycling. Some of his friends tell him
that cycling is dangerous, training on roads with cars should be
avoided, as is having optional, but potentially dangerous surgery to
enhance one's life, etc.

On occasion he asks a person how they would feel about getting on a
bike, doing an all out sprint to say, 35mph, and then throwing
themselves over the bars and onto the ground, and would they do it for
$10,000?

No one has yet said they would, yet bike racers pay an entry fee 20-50
times a year with the understanding that exactly this scenario could
occur except they will not get $10,000 for it. So what is the real
danger, and what causes us to draw the line in a different place for
different scenarios?

-WG

Bill Laudien wrote:

****, I'd do that for 10G in a heartbeat.

If you can get the money together, I'll do it.

If you want to tape it and sell the tape, I'm fine with that too.

Let me know.


Here's $5.

warren wrote:
A very successful bike racer in his 60's said this to me today as we
discussed the relative dangers of cycling. Some of his friends tell him
that cycling is dangerous, training on roads with cars should be
avoided, as is having optional, but potentially dangerous surgery to
enhance one's life, etc.

On occasion he asks a person how they would feel about getting on a
bike, doing an all out sprint to say, 35mph, and then throwing
themselves over the bars and onto the ground, and would they do it for
$10,000?

No one has yet said they would, yet bike racers pay an entry fee 20-50
times a year with the understanding that exactly this scenario could
occur except they will not get $10,000 for it. So what is the real
danger, and what causes us to draw the line in a different place for
different scenarios?

-WG

Well, this "very successful bike racer in his 60s" presumably has been
around a while, though of course he may have just taken up racing.
This is one of those things that is probably stronly colored by one's
personal experience. All of us know people who've been severely injured
racing. I would say that the majority of racers who've raced
consistently for at least a few years have broken bones. Most are,
however, reasonably healthy.
No one enters racing if they think too much about crashing. If you
become to afraid of crashing, it's time to quit. I did.
So there is an element of denial in all this. Taking a chance on
something that MIGHT injure you is not the same as taking $10,000 for a
sure thing.
But I can't live here in New York City thinking about the next
terrorist threat, and folks in S.F. can't be waiting for the big one,
though we know both of these things may happen.
I guess the somewhat unsatisfactory answer is you do it because you
want to, and I'll worry about the consequences when they happen.

Steve

--
Mark & Steven Bornfeld DDS
http://www.dentaltwins.com
Brooklyn, NY
718-258-5001