Whitey's really bad crash

Posted by steve outing on 2/8/2007 on steve outing's blog

YourCycling.com enthusiast-in-chief Whitey Debroux had a truly nasty crash during a race in Mexico last year -- when his bike broke apart on a final sprint to the finish line and his face hit the pavement at 40 mph. His hometown newspaper, the Boulder Daily Camera, has a profile of Whitey, which talks about how the accident led to a new part-time career as an entrepreneur, developing and hawking Whitey's Crash and Burn Kit.

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4 comments

Luke DeBroux says:

that is the best you ever looked!

by Luke DeBroux (not verified) on !b

CoBiker says:

hey Whitey. Sounds horrific. And your crash makes me wonder why pro racers (or amateurs for that matter) don't wear lightweight full face helmets. I mean like this one:

If you'd been wearing that, you'd have gotten hurt still sure, but half your face wouldn't have ripped off.

Why don't more racers wear those? Or race organizers require them?

by CoBiker on !b

whitey says:

To be honest, I have never seen a full face helmet like the one in the picture. It’s pretty cool and looks like it has ample venting for the hot days. So why don't we use them? Crashes like the one I had are rare so race organizers have little reason to implement such a rule. That being said, it looks like it may have saved my face. My initial concerns without actually using it would be; drinking from a bottle, limited peripheral vision and aerodynamics. The limited peripheral vision would be especially dangerous while riding in traffic or a pack. Aerodynamics may be minor, but if you’re in a race, why would you make it harder then it already is?

by whitey on !b

whitey says:

Speaking of helmets.
Heres a nice one JHK was using while on a cold ride. It bridges the gap between wearing just a helmet or a winter hat on the cold days. It's light, folds up to fit in you pocket and you can comfortably wear a hat underneath.