Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Violent velodrome crash

We’ve seen some nasty crashes at the Marymore Velodrome, but nothing quite like this one at Alpenrose in Southwest Portland recently. Riders were traveling at 40 mph. Luckily, no one was seriously hurt.

In other cycling news, U.S. Olympic racers are making waves as they arrive in Beijing wearing masks to protect themselves against the pollution. Kirkland’s very own Jennie Reed is pictured at the top of the article. The IOC is ignoring the problem, calling the smog humidity, and China is offended. I’m not sure what else an athlete is supposed to do, though. According to the article:

At their Olympic test events last year, the smog even made its way into the velodrome, floating just below the rafters. Lea said he developed a “wicked sore throat” about 30 minutes after flying into Beijing. It turned into a chest infection that lasted a week.

Other athletes are also experiencing coughing fits and other lung problems.

Do you forgo competing in the Olympics because it is a health risk? Do you do your best to protect yourself and risk offending the host country? Tough choices.