Big Helmets for Cyclists With Huge Heads

How’s that for an exciting blog title? I stopped blogging for almost a year and this is my big reentry? If you had as much difficulty finding hats and helmets that fit your head as I do, you would understand what’s going on here. If you don’t know anybody who rides their bike and has a big head, then this blog is not for you. Have a nice day. On the other hand, if you—or someone you know—has a very large head and has difficulty finding bike helmets that fit, I have really good news for you. I found the helmet!

As I was leaving the vendor area at the Sea Otter Classic bike festival this past weekend I stopped by a small dealer’s booth because they had some helmets stacked on a table. I’m always trying on different brands of helmets because I have never found one that fits my huge melon. Some of the brands I’ve tried sit on the top of my head like a beanie. Usually the sales rep looks at me in amazement because he or she has never seen the helmet look so small. 

But lo and behold, when I put the Kali Chakra Plus (M/L size) on my head, I finally found a helmet that “fits like a glove.” With the twist-tighten control, there’s plenty of room (in case my head decides to grow some more). They were selling them for only $40 at Laguna Seca, and the regular price is only $50. This is half what many helmets go for. I bought two (one white, one black) because I couldn’t believe I found something that fit after years of searching. 

How big is my head? I don’t know, but I know that size 8 hats are barely big enough. As you know, a hat or helmet that is tight when you try it on will cause headaches. Previously, the only helmet that I found that was reasonably comfortable was the Bell Triton. My head is not terribly wide, but has a long front-to-back dimension. The Bell Triton is wide so it’s a good choice if you have a big round head. But if you’re like me and have difficulty with the front-to-back fit, you have to try the Kali Chakra Plus on. The styling is XC/MTB, but I’ve used it on the road and it works just great. 

Here’s a link directly to the helmet on the manufacturer’s site: http://www.kaliprotectives.com/bike/chakra

They have a dealer locator on that page. They’re not in every shop, but hopefully you can find a dealer nearby to try one on. Good luck, and happy new year. 

La Jolla Vélo

2010 Tour de France Live!

A week ago today we were at the Tour de France's individual time trial in Bordeaux, France. We had been in the Pyrénées for days before that, climbing famous "cols" (mountain passes) like the Col du Tourmalet and roads to dead-ends in beautiful ski areas like Superbagnères and Pla d'Adet. We stayed in Luchon-Bagnères to watch the end of one stage and the start of another. But it wasn't until that day in Bordeaux of NOT climbing the hills that I finally stopped to fully appreciate one thing: We were in France, at the Tour de France! It took me over 50 years to get to the Tour, and I may never experience it "live" again, but there we were.

I've always liked riding my bike, but it wasn't until five years ago–the summer of 2005–when I really got into bike racing as a spectator. The timing was strange, since American Lance Armstrong had just retired after winning his seventh Tour de France. Lance didn't get me into bike racing. My wife did. When I came home one night after riding up Torrey Pines hill 50 times in one day (just to see if I could; 162 miles, over 20,000 vertical feet of climbing), she said to me with a concerned look on her face, "Why don't you try racing OTHER people?" With that, I joined the San Diego Bicycle Club (SDBC) and dabbled in some bike racing. I've raced "track" at the velodrome, I still race time trials, and I will try some road/crit racing again someday. I'm not very good at it, but I love it.

By experiencing bike racing personally, I got a dose of the incredible adrenaline that comes with the sport. That personal racing experience turned a potentially boring spectator sport into something I really enjoy watching. (Having played football and soccer made those sports more interesting to watch, too. This formula didn't work on me for baseball because I thought it was pretty boring even when I played it.)

This doesn't explain WHY I'm so passionate about cycling now, but I am. I'm glad of it.

• I'm glad I have a passion to follow.
  
• I'm glad it can burn 7,000 calories in a day.
  
• I'm glad there are a few million other people "into it" enough to make the Tour de France the incredible event that it is.
  
• I'm glad we went to see the Tour de France live.
  

We finally made it to Cycling Mecca. We were at the Super Bowl of bike racing. And I'm so glad it sunk in before it was all over.
Vive le Tour de France!

Lonely for cycling

I'm excited to go back to the hinterlands of Wisconsin for a "cousins weekend." We haven't done this in 20 years. But I'm going to miss riding for a week while we're in Wisconsin and Chicago. The worst part about being in such a remote part of Wisconsin is that we'll probably not be able to see any coverage of the last 3 days of the Tour de France. There's a lot that can happen in these last few days as so many battle for 2nd and 3rd place. I guess the Internet coverage will have to do. I'll be scouring the links I have on my cycling page at www.LaJollaVelo.com.

Columbia over Garmin ANY day

Are you undecided on which "American" team to cheer for? Why not pick the one that takes the high road? It's the one named Columbia-HTC, owned & operated by High Road Sports. The other American Team, Garmin-Slipstream, demonstrated last Thursday that they may not always choose the "high road" in the heat of competition...

There was an opportunity to have the Tour de France yellow jersey pass from an Italian on a French team to an American on an American team. I'm not overly nationalistic, but that American was George Hincapie, probably the best-liked and most-respected American rider in the peloton. All Garmin had to do was stay in the pack with all the other race leaders. They would have lost nothing and they would have gained something by keeping Brad Wiggins fresher for stages to come. George is working for others on his team, not gunning for the GC.

But some bitter soul within the Garmin management team decided, due to their laughable "rivalry" with Columbia-HTC that they would work hard to narrow the time gap so George would not have this one day of glory. The jersey stayed on the back of Nocentini, who had been wearing it for about a week already. Way to go, Garmin-Killjoy-Slipstream. Don't look for friends in the peloton for the rest of this year. And by the way, Team Columbia will continue to crush you, with greater conviction than ever.

There are some nice guys on the Garmin-Slipstream team, and some of them probably hated the job they were asked to do that day, since many of them are friends of George. The small-minded managers at Garmin will only realize this when their star athletes decide to NOT renew their contracts.

Meanwhile, keep on cheering for the American "old man" (Lance Armstrong on his not-so-American Astana team) and his almost-as-old friend George Hincapie. I'm an old man...almost as old as Lance+George...and I dream of getting faster on the bike every time I ride. Whether they win the races or not, OLD GUYS RULE!

Should I?

Should I attempt to "blog" again? I think it's been over a year since my teenage children found my last blog and--through merciless ridicule--convinced me not to spend time doing anything that would give them such ammunition again.

Since this blog will focus on cycling (as an adjunct to my links page at www.lajollavelo.com), I suspect they'll be less interested in reading it. They know very little about the sport, and care even less.

Mickey owns a mountain bike here but won't ride with me anymore.
Maddie just did her first spin class today but is sworn to never ride a real bike again. The only thing she's noticed about pro cycling (from watching me watch it on TV) is how pronounced Mark Cavendish's butt is.
Callie likes her beach cruiser, and doesn't care about Mark's butt.