Remembering Fabio Casartelli
by Willj on Jul 18, 2010 1:21 PM EDT
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Tomorrow, the Tour will climb and descend Col de Portet d'Aspet the site of Fabio Casartelli's tragic death during the 1995 Tour de France.
Casartelli was a talented rider on the Motorola team and had won the 1992 Olympic road race gold medal at the tender age of 21.
After his death, the Motorola team remained in the Tour crossing the line the next stage side by side with the Peloton behind. Three days later a young American team-mate went on to win an emotional stage victory. Lance Armstrong pointed to the sky as he crossed the line, dedicating the victory to Casartelli.
The memorial is a sundial arranged so that shadows highlight 3 dates: His birth, his death, and his Olympic Gold Medal.
The descent of Portet d'Aspet is incredibly steep. There are two 17% signs above the crash site. The little road is shaded by trees. Several riders crashed at a sharp left turn nearing the bottom of the descent and Casartelli hit the top of his un-helmeted head on the small concrete wall there.
Help arrived instantly but nothing could be done.
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That even makes my poor old car cringe.
Thanks for the memorial post Willj.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
You think so
And I would agree, but… I think he and Hincapie try and go on a day-long break because of it being the Casartelli memorial that they pass.
2005, pla d'adet, george hincapie. just sayin...
"Wizard's first rule. People are stupid. They will believe anything they want to be true or fear to be true." -- Terry Goodkind
Yea but do you have a crystal ball?
See when a person states something matter of factly and follows with “trust me”, I think that’s a clue they have a crystal ball.. trust me.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Thankfully helmets are now mandatory
did this case have something to do with that happening btw? Or at least the rule that you had to have helmets on the descents?
Vamos Alberto!
Quitter's People United member # 42
Sadly, no
though it did lead riders to change their habits significantly. The rules changed bit by bit in the early 2000s, someone else will know the details. Andrei Kivilev’s death in 03 was the final straw that led them to require helmets except for final ascent, and then helmets all the time.
by Mr 60 Percent on Jul 18, 2010 9:05 PM EDT up reply actions
Ah right the Kivilev crash
I hope some discussion at least began after the Casartelli crash though.
Vamos Alberto!
Quitter's People United member # 42
It did
but there was a lot of old school macho, which won out in the short run. The UCI actually tried to impose a helmet ban a few years earlier (91?) but the riders staged a protest against it at Paris-Nice.
There’s no question though that Casartelli had an impact. If you look at cycling vids from, say, 1996 and 2002, there was a huge increase in the number of riders wearing helmets at all races.
by Mr 60 Percent on Jul 18, 2010 9:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Thanks for the perspective
and good to see riders realizing their lives are of some value.
Vamos Alberto!
Quitter's People United member # 42
"...good to see riders realizing their lives are of some value"
Yea, now they kill themselves with drugs.
"It's a lovely thing, feeling that momentum. If you're lucky, it's also about grace." Tim Winton
Well they are still naive
when you tell yourself you are fine long enough you will believe it
Vamos Alberto!
Quitter's People United member # 42
Yea, now they kill themselves with drugs.
No sport is drug-free. Tommy Simpson died aged 29, near the top of Mont Ventoux way back in the 1967 Tour. The use of drugs and alcohol by all kinds of athletes was very common then. He collapsed racing up the Pyrenees in a heatwave, fuelled by brandy and methamphetamines. This was against French national law, but not specifically against Tour rules… which is why rules need to flex and change over time. The rules also limited riders to a maximum of 4 bidons (2 litres) of water as the dangers of dehydration were not understood back then.
As we understand more, I think we need to do more. I’m thinking that (I’m English, so I’m not certain about this next one, but…) if a pro American Football player refused to wear a helmet, he wouldn’t be allowed to play. If a Formula One racing driver refused to wear a helmet, he wouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a car, much less drive one at 200 mph. If a professional jockey refused to wear a helmet, he would lose his racing licence. These may be ‘just bikes’, but they are ‘just bikes’ that can be ridden down Pyrenean hairpin bends at 60mph. So in that respect I would say, “You’re a professional athlete… suck it up, strap on a pair and get your helmet on!”
Youth, Testosterone, Machismo, Fame and Prize Money is a very difficult combination for a young man to resist. Staying Alive comes way down the list of priorities then, if it’s even on their list at all – that’s purely a human psychological function of age. These guys give us thrills, excitement, inspiration, great sport to follow and plenty to talk about, and I feel that – even if rules have to be made to achieve it – we should give them every opportunity we can to live long enough to look back and say “Those were great days!”
Macho? It is there choice whether they can wear one or not...they are professionals and I wouldn't bat an eye
if I saw all of them not wearing helmets on a group training ride. Teams now probably mostly require it for extra insurance but both of those crashes, Casartelli and Kivilev happened at such high speeds that it would have been unlikely that a helmet would have saved their lives. Even after Cipollini crashed on his head in his early pro years in a full on sprint, he was never a big fan of the helmet and he was fine afterwards.
I don’t see what is wrong with putting the rule back in where they can take the helmets off if their is a summit finish, especially if they are going to have to come back down the mountain anyways. Seems easy enough.
Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!
by Vlaanderen90 on Jul 18, 2010 10:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, who cares if they die as long as it was their risk
it’s a helmet, if a pro can’t handle wearing one then he can GTFO. This is one of the few issues where I say the pros should have no say, they have to wear a helmet and if they don’t think about their future voluntarily then someone else must. Using one example is not a proper sample size for your argument, I’m sure you can look at numerous crashes just this year and see where a helmet came in handy. Do you as a fan want to see these guys crack their skull open? Yes the sport is dangerous and they chose it but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be protected as much as they can.
Vamos Alberto!
Quitter's People United member # 42
well if they want to be protected as much as they can, you can make them wear elbow and knee pads
I am sure that many guys would have a concussion or what not this year alone but we there really any massive head injuries all the time before this rule? It would be an excuse for guys to actually practice their bike handling skills because even if they are pro, a ton of these guys don’t know how to handle a bike at all. Descents will always be dangerous, with or without a helmet so they are still risking their lives no matter what they do. If you do crash into a wall at that type of speed, your screwed with or without a helmet.
Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!
by Vlaanderen90 on Jul 19, 2010 4:17 PM EDT up reply actions
Sponsors
Remember, now sponsors chuck in cash along with the product. The sponsors want to see the helmets worn. If the pros take them off on climbs it is bad for business/PR. The old arguments about being too heavy, too hot, etc.then return.
by touriste-routier on Jul 18, 2010 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions
I think Phil has the rights of it...
and I think also that you are young enough to believe you are teflon-coated…
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
I have crashed plenty of times...
and yes, I have smacked my head on the pavement too because of a car coming out of nowhere into my path on the road. I’ve busted multiple helmets and I would probably still wear one on most occasions but I don’t usually when I go training unless I know the route will be busy/bad roads. Though I find it stupid that I have to wear one anytime I am at a race, even if I am just riding around the parking lot.
Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!
by Vlaanderen90 on Jul 19, 2010 4:23 PM EDT up reply actions
Ah... youth..
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
I wouldn't enjoy cycling as much as I do
if I had to wear a helmet all the time.
Ceci n'est pas une signature.
I find helmet arguments
can get strangely heated.
All I’ll say is, except sometimes on long, quiet climbs, I always wear a helmet – and I make my wife wear a helmet.
Everyone else … it’s a free world
moo
I love the feeling of riding minus a helmet...
which proves I’ve never fallen on my head… so in spite of liking the feeling, I always wear a hemet too. In Oz we also have laws regarding the wearing of helmets :)
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
I would like to see them ride helmet-free to a summit finish
The one unfortunate effect of the helmet rule is that, with a lot of the riders these days, I’m not exactly sure what they look like. Teammates tend to look the same with a helmet and shades. Can anyone tell apart the AG2R guys or the Euskies? Armstrong needs the Dark Helmet to distinguish him from Popo and Levi.
I mean, if Marco Pantani had to climb with a helmet on his head it wouldn’t have been as cool.
by Mr 60 Percent on Jul 19, 2010 2:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Yes, and 'cool' causes unnecessary head injuries..
"How strange it was to see men doing something beautiful. Something pointless and elegant." Tim Winton, 'Breath'
Going uphill to a summit finish?
Not questioning the helmet rule for the rest of the route. Just a bit nostalgic for the old days…
by Mr 60 Percent on Jul 19, 2010 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions
yes, agree
Uphill finish helmet free rule made sense.
I would add that the rule should include a caveat that requires riders to put a helmet back on if there is an after race descent to the bus (very common and often tricky due to amateurs like me on the road)
moo
It just created such stupid situations though
with riders rushing to cars to hand off their helmets. I always thought they should have a big net by the side of the road for everyone to toss their lid in.
I remember there is a Graham Watson or somebody else photo
where they were just tossing them to the side of the road over other guys in the bunch.
Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!, Tommeke!
by Vlaanderen90 on Jul 19, 2010 9:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Fast Descent
This descent was also in the 2007 Tour (stage 15), and was in the L’Etape that year.
It wasn’t as bad as I anticipated (and was warned about), but it is very fast, and fairly tight. Actually the memorial makes it even hairier. The last thing you want to have in a tight turn coming off a 17% down grade is a distraction, but there it is. You don’t want to look at it, but it is there, and you have to., from both physical and respect stand points.
It was quite somber, even passing it at speed.
by touriste-routier on Jul 18, 2010 9:03 PM EDT reply actions
Just wanted to add: during today's stage, VS Tracker's Matthew Keenan
mentioned that, after the accident, Motorola kept Casartelli’s bike on the teamcar’s roof rack for the rest of the race, and carried it into Paris, so that he could finish the race with the rest of his teammates.
I never knew this, and thought it was a sad and poignant thing to remember today.
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