Tour de France winner Geraint Thomas thinks cyclists should be forced to wear helmets

This year’s Tour de France champion, Welshman Geraint Thomas of Team Sky, has chimed in on a long-standing debate on whether helmets should be mandatory for cyclists. While in bicycle racing there is no argument that wearing a helmet is a necessary precaution to keep the athletes safe, the debate is more nuanced when it comes to commuters and recreational cyclists going at much lower speeds in small groups. Thomas thinks all cyclists should be forced to wear helmets.

“I would certainly make helmets compulsory,” Thomas said to The Sunday Times. “I always wear a helmet.

“I’ve put on a helmet more times than I’ve buckled a seatbelt.

“Helmets have come on a lot — well ventilated, not too hot, you don’t look stupid — no reason not to.”

While a professional cyclist like Thomas rides tens of thousands of kilometres a year at training camps, on their home training roads, up mountain passes and in races, they don’t commute in urban areas and much of their time in the saddle is dedicated to getting faster and fitter.

I’ve never ridden a bike in London, apart from in a race,” Thomas admits about his experience riding on open roads in the United Kingdom’s capital city. “I’ve watched from a taxi and it does seem a bit crazy. I would certainly make helmets compulsory.”

The UCI made wearing helmets in professional races compulsory in 2003 after the death of Andrei Kivilev at Paris–Nice. Pro cyclists, however, are exposed to very different risks than commuters of recreational riders.

Advocacy group Cycling UK are opposed to making helmets mandatory. “Evidence shows that the health benefits of cycling are so much greater than the relatively low risks involved, that even if these measures caused only a very small reduction in cycle use, this would still almost certainly mean far more lives being lost through physical inactivity than helmets could possibly save, however effective,” the charity said adding that the cost of enforcement would also outweigh the gains of having all cyclists wear helmets.

The government is currently doing a cycling safety review in which making helmets mandatory is being examined to address public safety on the road.

If you're cycling 50 km/h in tight pelotons where a head-injury crash is almost a certainty over time, sure wear a helmet. This is like NASCAR racers advocating for 5 point harnesses, wraparound seats, and roll cages for 20 km/h golf carts. https://t.co/9HCbt6sY8D

— Richard Masoner ?‍♂️ (@cyclelicious) August 27, 2018

Thomas’ former teammate Bradley Wiggins thought his comments were blown totally out of proportion. On The Bradley Wiggins Show vodcast, Wiggins said, “Geraint has been concentrating on what he’s been trying to do – win the Tour de France. The last month he’s been preoccupied with that, and all of a sudden he comes back from the Tour de France and everyone wants to know what he thinks about certain topics.”

Wiggins wondered the context of the question and whether Thomas even had strong opinions about the subject with his comments causing strong reactions in the difference camps.

“He’s the Tour de France winner now, and everyone wants to know his view on certain things like he’s some sort of Messiah,” Wiggins continued.