Get a Lid

Get a Lid
Tim Long

I will likely catch some heat for this article from the publisher, since he's an avid cyclist and triathlete, but it's a holiday for many folks, so maybe he's not in the office today. Still, this is my personal opinion, not the magazine's.

Just after we started our Thursday night group run last night a cyclist not wearing a helmet came up the road toward us. One of the guys I was running with said, "Wear a helmet." The cyclist snapped back, "Go .... yourself!" My runner friend was a bit startled, but his concern about another person not wearing his helmet was falling on deaf ears where I'm concerned. This verbal cyclist crossing our paths was obviously an experienced veteran on the bike. Indications were his fitness, bike, cloths, and general comfort and control of the bike.

I know this article post will set some tempers on fire, but I'm tired of having people tell me what's best for me. What's next, will we be wearing helmets on our group runs too? I mean, some of us can run 10mph, which is almost as fast as recreational cyclists. People can trip, fall, hit their heads. So, what's the difference? I started seriously cycling in 1986. I wear a helmet when I ride in a group and/or know I'll be going down some long, steep descents. When I ride alone, I typically go hatless. It's my noggin, my ride, my decision, so mind your own business.

Regardless of what I think about people and how they put themselves into dangerous or unhealthy situations, I'm not going to tell them how they should live. "Stop smoking you black lung leper!" "Lose some of that fat, heart-stressing belly!" "Don't eat that preservatively chemical-rich Twinkie!" "Try reading a book, or exercise your mind, play-do brain!"

Tell me to wear a helmet and you'll get an ear full of how I think you should live too, and one of the suggestions will be to mind your own damn business.

Please feel free to comment... I can't wait to read them!