LYCRA BEATS KEVLAR

I recently encountered a cyclist on a narrow lane near where I live. Being in a car I had to follow as it wasn’t safe to overtake.

I was surprised to find I was travelling between 30mph and on downhill sections, more than 40mph.

The rider was virtually naked. A minuscule Lycra t shirt, bare arms, and a pair of miniature Lycra shorts on bare legs. He did have a plastic hat on though.

I’m no physicist, but am I right in thinking that sliding on tarmac after a 40mph spill on a bicycle produces much the same results as dropping a motorbike at that speed?

Probably like many of your readers, I put full kit on for most rides, but occasionally when going for a gentle ‘stroll’ on my Bonny, I will just wear jeans, though always with a proper jacket, boots, gloves and helmet.

How, then, do cyclists risk, and apparently survive, such arm and knee shredding ventures, and how has this passed under the nanny government radar?

A 30mph scooter rider has to comply with helmet regs and is frowned upon if seen wearing shorts and flip-flops, yet these Lycra-clad super heroes hammer along our roads at speeds well in excess of what many scooters are capable of.

(And, of course, occasionally like to drift right across your path to turn right without even a glance over their shoulder.)

So my question is: Do Yamaha sell R1-branded Lycra suits?

I think I need one for those warmer days.

Konrad Karenowski

That’s a very good point, Konrad. I suppose that most motorised bikes are capable of speeds faster than push bikes, but even at the speeds you mention, you can do some serious damage to yourself. I may sound a bit morbid here, but I suspect that legislation will only change as a result of the number of accidents significant enough to push this issue to the front of the queue.

Mikko Nieminen