Reason Number 299 to always wear a helmet

It's always a good policy to wear a helmet during bike rides. There are many people who don't like to wear helmets because they think helmets don't look cool, helmets mess up their hair, they don't ride fast or on busy roads, or they never fall off their bike. I've had this discussion with a friend of mine who doesn't wear a helmet and I keep recommending that he does. I always wear a helmet when I ride and of course, a helmet is mandatory during races and group training sessions with Team in Training.

As you can see from the picture on my left, it's a good thing that I was wearing my helmet this past Saturday morning while riding in Central Park.

I was circling the north end of the park, when a rider in the left lane drifted into the right lane on one of the downhill curves. Normally that's not a problem unless I am already occupying the right lane. Add in the wet pavement and next thing you know my bike is sliding out sideways and I am slamming into the road. Luckily my head seemed to take most of the impact and my body protected my bike from any major damage. As you can see from the pictures, the helmet cracked with a visible crack from the bottom to the top along the left side.

View from the inside of the helmet

So in order to help those people who like my friend think that they are too cool for school and don't need to wear a helmet.

Here are the top ten reasons to wear a helmet while riding.

10. All the cool kids are wearing them.
9. Fashionable bike helmets are one of the criteria for PEOPLE Magazine's Sexiest Man Alive. That's why Lance Armstrong, Matthew McConaughey, Jake Gyllenhaal and Patrick Dempsey made the list.
8. Even though you are an awesome rider; drivers, pedestrians and other riders may not be so awesome.
7. Especially for riding in Central Park - Tourists!
6. You never fall off your bike - until you do.
5. Helmets are required for many of the organized rides in the city such as those put on by the New York Cycle Club.
4. A head injury can ruin your whole day.
3. You won't have to listen to your mother say: "You should have been wearing a helmet," when you wake up in the hospital.
2. 900 People die each year in bicycle accidents, 75% of them from head injuries and 88% of all cyclist brain injuries could be avoided.

and the number 1 reason to wear a bike helmet
1. Helmets are less likely to damage the asphalt and leave a stain on the pavement.

Of course, the plus side of cracking my helmet and not my skull is that it gives me an opportunity to go shopping for new cool stuff. So below is my new helmet, a Giro Stylus.