Provinces without bicycle helmet laws 'atrocious', researcher says

WINNIPEG - Provincial governments should force anyone riding a bicycle to wear a helmet, says the co-author of a new report that found helmet use varies greatly across Canada.
"I mean, it's atrocious that in 2010, every province does not have some sort of helmet legislation," said Ryan Zarychanski, an assistant professor of medicine at the University of Manitoba. "Clearly, helmet legislation works and clearly it reduces serious head injuries and facial lacerations."
Zarychanski and three other researchers at the University of Manitoba and the University of Ottawa compared 2005 helmet use figures involving more than 4,600 respondents in three provinces with very different rules for cyclists.
Helmets were worn by 73.2 per cent of respondents in Nova Scotia, where helmet use is mandatory for everyone. The rate was just 40.6 per cent in Ontario, where helmets are mandatory for young people only, and a mere 26.9 in Saskatchewan, where there is no bicycle helmet law.
The study, published in the August edition of the Injury Prevention Journal, also found that children were less likely to wear helmets if adults did not have to.
Fewer than half of underage respondents in Ontario said they used helmets, even though they were required by law. In Nova Scotia, the rate for children was 77.5 per cent.
"We hypothesize that this is due to the absence of role-modelling from adults," Zarychanski said Tuesday.
Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Quebec and Newfoundland have no helmets laws for cyclists. Ontario and Alberta require helmets for people under 18 years of age, while Nova Scotia, British Columbia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island require everyone to don a helmet while on a bicycle.
Manitoba's NDP government has long faced calls to make helmets mandatory. The third-party Liberals have tried and failed to pass a private member's bill to that effect.
The province's medical association has also called for a helmet law.
"There is plenty of evidence showing that helmet use goes up when such laws are introduced while head injury hospitalization drops by as much as 45 per cent," reads a post on Doctors Manitoba's health promotion web site.
But the government has instead opted to keep helmet use optional, and has tried to encourage helmet use through promotional campaigns and by offering subsidized helmets that cost as little as $10.
"We're not ruling out helmet legislation ... but we also are looking at and discussing with other provinces to see how their legislation moved forward, how they implemented it, and the pros and cons in each case," Manitoba Healthy Living Minister Jim Rondeau said.
"Right now, we're still working with the carrot approach."
Critics of helmet laws have argued that making helmets mandatory might discourage people from cycling. But the study found bicycle use remained constant in Alberta and Prince Edward Island after those provinces adopted helmet laws in 2002 and 2003 respectively.

Source:By: Steve Lambert, The Canadian Press Winnipeg Free Press August 10, 2010

Newsworthy excerpts

Both excerpts from the Roadbiker.com newsletter:

Work Out Just 20 Minutes for Amazing Results!



No, this isn't a plug for a miracle no-sweat fitness method. Instead, it's a prescription for more power and endurance on your bike, a taste of the kind of advice you'll find in the new eArticle by John Hughes we plugged above -- INTENSITY: How to Plan & Gauge the Most Beneficial Training Efforts.


It's simple. On a normal ride, choose terrain that allows you to pedal hard and steady for 20 minutes. It might be a long, gradual climb or a flat road into the wind.


Be sure you're warmed up, then go for it. Your effort should be around 85-90% of your max heart rate. It should feel hard but not all-out.
On another ride at least 2 days later, do it again.


These twice-weekly 20-minute efforts are like mini time trials. They increase the amount of power you can generate at or near your lactate threshold (the effort level where panting begins).


Few roadies ride this way because it's lots easier to just cruise along. And that's why they don't get closer to their potential.


But if you discipline yourself to bite the bullet for a measly 20 minutes during a couple of rides each week, you'll feel real improvement after just 8-10 of these workouts.


Or double your money back!














---Exercise scientists have stumbled on an amazing discovery, reports the New York Times. Athletes can improve their performance in intense bouts of exercise, lasting an hour or so, if they merely rinse their mouths with a carbohydrate solution (sports drink). That's right, swish and spit. It appears that the brain can sense carbohydrate in the mouth and then respond, spurring on the athlete. Some of the research was done with cyclists. The advantage for relatively short and intense events, such as time trials up to 25 miles (40 km) is avoiding digestive problems from riding hard with food or drink in the stomach. For longer periods of exercise, though, a person is better off swallowing a carbohydrate drink than spitting it out. This way actual fuel is provided in the form of calories.

I am just the messenger here...

Where’s the Beach in Stead Race Report…

It was long. It was hard. It was fun.

I wondered if I was in shape for 100 kms of off road “racing”. I wondered if riding a rigid was a good idea. I wondered if my 22/32/44x15 gearing would be low enough. I wondered if I’d be able to beat or even keep pace with Paul. I wondered if my secret recipe for liquid nutrition would work. I wondered if my butt was ready for 4-5 hours on the bike.

I’m not wondering anymore.

I was in good enough shape to finish in 4:38 which is slightly faster than last year.
A rigid wasn’t the best idea but my 31 lb full suspension was 10 lbs heavier.
My gearing was almost perfect. Only a couple of times did I wish for a gear in between what I had.
I did beat Paul but we swapped placements several times during the first half of the race before I finally lost him.
My secret recipe worked great. And it wasn’t unpleasant to drink but NOTHING tastes as good as an ice cold beer after a race. NOTHING!!!
My butt is my business. Nothing to share here.

First Lap:

Rolling group starts are just a kick. I love it. We should do more of these.
The bear was cool. Was almost hoping to see him again.
Riding with different people at different times is always neat. You get to chat with people you’re usually trying to pass or not get passed by.

It seemed to take a really long time for the slower group to settle out and everyone to find their place. I felt pretty strong but my gearing dictated my pace. I loved the 44x15 on the gravel road sections. I found the 22x15 too small for the rock gardens but the 32x15 was too big. I hate that one hidden rock I hit EVERY SINGLE LAP!!!! Note to trail crew: please flag that rock for next year. It’s the one next to the bush that slapped my face each time, just a short way past the squiggly turn with the grass. Rode with Brad E for a while. Then suddenly he wasn’t there anymore. Kind of waited for him to catch up again until I turned a corner and couldn’t see him anymore. Didn’t see him again til the race was done.

Lap 2:

Still felt strong. Left the feed zone with Paul and we caught the wheel of another rider. We drafted him until he became exasperated with us and swerved to the side. Thanks for the pull whoever you were…

Was riding with Paul and Marty H and some other guys I didn’t know. Got away from them on the gravel sections but got reeled in, in the rock gardens. By about the middle of the lap I was riding alone and spent the rest of the race riding alone. Good thing I had voices in my head to talk to.

Lap 3:

Ugh. Felt strong leaving the feed zone but as soon as I was onto the gravel my power faded fast. I wondered if I was going to bonk and I knew that this lap was going to be a challenge. I granny geared it until I had some momentum and decided to ride with whatever energy I could muster and worry about fatigue when it hit. This was the last lap and time to burn the matches I had left.

I found that I couldn’t wait to see the next km marker (what a fantastic idea. They were inspirational during the tiredness) At one point I climbed off my bike to walk for a bit because I know from experience this helps to relieve my leg cramps. Felt like a goof walking with stiff legs because I couldn’t bend my knees but the trick worked and I was able to ride again. Got my second wind and turned the big gear for a while.

Whoever held up the “princess, you’re almost done sign” made my day. Couldn’t help but laugh at that.

Kept looking over my shoulder expecting Paul, Marty or the other guys to come around a corner but alas, no one came. Had to walk through a second section of sand and stood by my bike for about a minute just to rest. Would gladly have quit and gone for a nap at that point but pushed it through and hit the last gravel road section knowing there was only about a mile left.

Things to do differently next year:

Train for endurance racing.
Find better things to eat than powerbars. Yuck.
Tie a rope around Dave so he can pull me.