Unhelpful comments by Wiggins after tragic accident

[CopperBrompton]

Just argued with the OP about this elsewhere

This is news to the OP ...

 

[snorri]

. He seems a bright lad

He certainly did not come over as a bright lad in the full length video from which the press quotes were taken. I had not seen him before, so don't know how he usually performs on camera but he is either rather poor at public speaking or was under the influence of something stronger than cold tea. He rambled on for so long without any prompting whatsover that it was inevitable he would say something controversial, a journalists dream. He certainly did himself no favours, failing even to put his pro compulsion argument over in an intelligible fashion.

 

[Peteaud]

What ever he said would have been wrong.

He should have ducked out of the question.

 

[jonesy]

He was collared by the press, unprepared, when tired and, quite possibly, emotional, on a topic that is entirely unrelated to cycling sports, was asked to comment on something very sad and shocking and probably felt he had to say 'the right thing'. Quite probably he isn't very good at speaking to the media. Why should he be? Most people aren't, and nor have most people gone into the ins and outs of the helmet debate. It is a shame, I think he said the wrong thing at the wrong time and it hasn't been at all helpful, I wish he'd not done it, (and I bet he wishes he hadn't as well by now...) but like reiver, I'm prepared to cut him some slack.

 

[roadrash]

everybody has thier own views and oppinions ,i have mine....you have yours ....wiggins has his ...now heres the thing NONE of us know whos right and whos wrong . even though i havnt made my oppinions known i certainly wont be looking for an argument with anybody having different views to mine or anyone elses for that matter

 

[CopperBrompton]

He has apparently said that he was indeed a trifle tired & emotional ((C) Private Eye) at the time he made his remarks.

 

[Davidc]

He was nailed by the press but he's got form on this.

On radio 5 live this morning they followed Wiggo with a genuine safety expert who pointed out that this guy was dead with or without a helmet, that a helmet makes no difference if you're squashed by a bus on a bike or otherwise, and that there's no evidence that helmets offer any overall benefit to cyclists. It was a good interview!

Helmet wearing needs to be an informed free choice.

Mr Wiggins is a phenomenal athlete and I have great respect for the man, but I wish he'd keep out of this debate, it can only do him harm.

What we really need is real rigorous properly conducted research. When will it be done?

 

[davehann]

wiggo is right
if you dont wear a helmet and cycle up the inside of trafic with your headphones on, it is clear you think you are invincible
i'm not sure what to say about helmet legislation. if people wish to live dangeriously then its a free world, but i do feel for the bus and truck drivers who dont stand a chance of seeing the bike up the blind side , then have to live with the death on their concience.

 

[Strathlubnaig]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/201...-helmet-comments_n_1732731.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

 

[StuartG]

He certainly did not come over as a bright lad in the full length video from which the press quotes were taken. I had not seen him before, so don't know how he usually performs on camera but he is either rather poor at public speaking or was under the influence of something stronger than cold tea. He rambled on for so long without any prompting whatsover that it was inevitable he would say something controversial, a journalists dream. He certainly did himself no favours, failing even to put his pro compulsion argument over in an intelligible fashion.

I beg to differ. At the start he made clear he was not really competent to answer, at the end he said he didn't want to soapbox the subject. A refreshing honesty some politicians might want to emulate and journalists to report.

Whilst I might take issue on the helmet bit - it was part of a package we all would accept a large portion of ... few of us, however bright, could talk that much sense in that condition in front of a hungry press without dropping a clanger or two. I think he scored less than two.

Good on 'im!

 

[jonesy]

wiggo is right
if you dont wear a helmet and cycle up the inside of trafic with your headphones on, it is clear you think you are invincible
i'm not sure what to say about helmet legislation. if people wish to live dangeriously then its a free world, but i do feel for the bus and truck drivers who dont stand a chance of seeing the bike up the blind side , then have to live with the death on their concience.

And wearing a helmet will help protect you from a truck or bus...?

 

[StuartG]

wiggo is right
if you dont wear a helmet and cycle up the inside of trafic with your headphones on, it is clear you think you are invincible

Whoops! Let's deconstruct that.

Cycling up the inside of a long vehicle without an escape route is potentially suicidal. It may be inexperience or it may be foolhardiness. Its not something anyone with any sense of road safety is going to argue with. Its a grade 1 danger

Cycling with your headphones on. Sounds (sorry!) dangerous but are we sure? Many surgeons like to listen to Mozart to steady their hand whilst stuff that casts a seismic shadow across the neighborhood may not be so helpful. Hence I guess most of us would worry about it but in itself unlike cycling on the inside of a lorry - it alone ain't going to kill you . Its a grade 2 danger.

Cycling up the inside or anywhere without a helmet? For gawd's sake there is widespread and honest disagreement whether it is safer or not to wear a helmet. We have reams of it and not everybody on either side is a nutter. The (unspun) evidence is far from overwhelming either way. At worst its a grade 3 danger, at best it may diminish danger.

Sorry but I find it hard to be convinced that the majority of both helmet wearers and not are doing it because they think it best not worst. Keep focussed on grade 1 dangers. When they are sorted you might want to concentrate on grade 2. Until then it really isn't worth worrying about Grade 3 ...

 

[Graham]

Whoops! Let's deconstruct that.

Cycling up the inside of a long vehicle without an escape route is potentially suicidal. It may be inexperience or it may be foolhardiness. Its not something anyone with any sense of road safety is going to argue with. Its a grade 1 danger

Cycling with your headphones on. Sounds (sorry!) dangerous but are we sure? Many surgeons like to listen to Mozart to steady their hand whilst stuff that casts a seismic shadow across the neighborhood may not be so helpful. Hence I guess most of us would worry about it but in itself unlike cycling on the inside of a lorry - it alone ain't going to kill you . Its a grade 2 danger.

Cycling up the inside or anywhere without a helmet? For gawd's sake there is widespread and honest disagreement whether it is safer or not to wear a helmet. We have reams of it and not everybody on either side is a nutter. The (unspun) evidence is far from overwhelming either way. At worst its a grade 3 danger, at best it may diminish danger.

Sorry but I find it hard to be convinced that the majority of both helmet wearers and not are doing it because they think it best not worst. Keep focussed on grade 1 dangers. When they are sorted you might want to concentrate on grade 2. Until then it really isn't worth worrying about Grade 3 ...

Does a surgeon carrying out an operation listening to Mozart increase his risk of being run over then?

 

[CopperBrompton]

Does a surgeon carrying out an operation listening to Mozart increase his risk of being run over then?

If he's listening to music and carrying out an operation while riding his bike, I'd have to agree he's likely to be pretty distracted.

 

[Lee_M]

This is news to the OP ...

yep I did old chap - on that other place (the place with bikes with engines ), named after the reverend himself

old news now of course