It’s unfortunate that the number of crashes, and seemingly the severity of these crashes continues to climb.  I know, I know, true ‘bike handling’ is a lost art but what is the reward for being able to bend it around a tight corner when today it’s the light-headed VO2 machines that rule?  Just ask Michael Rasmussen; famous for doping, climbing and not being able to stay upright long enough to hold on to the yellow jersey on a dry time trial course (what, three crashes?) a few years back in the TdF.

Us old timers know that a major contributing factor to these crashes is the ‘advancement’ of the clip-less pedal.  Frequently in the peloton one sees the old “ghost rider” trick – you know, a guy gets a bit tired and decides to fall off of his bike, maybe just to lie down and take a nap before the helicopters show-up and the real race begins.  Well, the old “ghost rider” trick was a pretty rare event years ago because my old friend Alfredo Binda made sure that every man stayed upright upon his mount; synched in good and tight – both feet no less.  If you went down, odds were you would only hit your hip, your knee and your ankle bone and ready to fight for another day.

Today, a lad may opt-out of rubbing a few wheels and go for a good ol’ ‘ghost ride.’  And as fast as Paul Sherwen can say, “The little clochard has hit deck!” one sees the old ghost rider ambling next to the field – a bicycle without a rider.  Somehow drawn by energy of the field, the ghost gives-up (thus the beginning of the term “to give-up the ghost”).  Inevitably the lad’s 14 pounds of carbon fiber goes shooting across the unsuspecting peloton, taking multiple riders down like a 7-10 split in bowling.  I can hear Alfredo Binda rolling over in his grave a’ top that hill in Cittiglio.

To reduce the number of crashes we need to keep each rider on this steed.  I propose the development of a ‘powder strap,’ similar to those that skiers use to keep their skis near them when skiing in deep powder.  The cycling ‘powder strap’ is a strap that goes around the rider’s waist, then clipping onto each of the rider’s seat rails.  This would keep each rider on his mount and prevent those who want to abandon their ride and in essence toss a pile of carbon fiber into an unsuspecting field of riders.

For the good of the sport it’s time to re-examine the powder strap and the time has come for all riders to give up the ghost; as in ghost riders, vous ne pensez pas?  And someday my name may be up there in cycling infamy right next to Alfredo’s.

Rik DeRoosteer