“There are only two kinds of pro cyclists: ones that have had a big accident and ones that are going to have a big accident.” Aerobag co-founder Quinton Van Loggerenberg says, recounting a prominent pro cyclist’s opinion on crashing in the pro ranks, and it paints a sobering picture.
Aerobag is a Belgian startup company that has developed a lightweight airbag system designed to dramatically reduce serious injuries for cyclists. It’s the very thing I speculated on in the Cyclingnews end-of-year Christmas wish list.
In the event of a crash, the system rapidly inflates tough TPU tubes to protect critical areas like the neck and back. Aerobag, it’s fair to say, has the potential to dramatically reduce crash injuries for cyclists, and at least two WorldTour teams are testing it out right now.
Some riders will go a lifetime without serious injury; others will be well-versed in broken bones and road rash; and for professional racers, it’s more a case of when, not if, they crash. Being tough and shrugging off road rash and grazes are one thing, but each year, dozens of professional cyclists are badly injured in training or during races. January isn’t yet over, and Jay Vine and Jhonatan Narváez have already fractured bones and ended up in the hospital. That’s to say nothing of incidents involving amateur riders and everyday cyclists worldwide.
Helmets protect our heads, but cyclists – in particular riders of drop bar bikes – ride largely unprotected. Compare the safety technology in cycling kit to other sports, and the level of protection on offer is laughable. Indeed, the thought is often pushed to the back of a cyclist’s mind, far better to not let it in at all than to ponder the consequences of crashing on a mountain descent, or in a bunch sprint wearing only thin Lycra for protection.
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