The Crema and personal responsibility

I rode a lovely 72 miles from Yorba Linda to Seal Beach with Amber yesterday. We were planning on eating at The Crema in Seal Beach but we got there at 10:45 and it was already full with a wait time of 30 minutes. So we bought sandwiches at the nearby Fresh and Easy and coffee at the Coffee Bean instead. We'll have to try The Crema again on a Sunday when they'll be less crowded. Or maybe we could have put our names down and hung out at the beach for a while.

The ride was great with mild winds, great scenery, and cool weather (for SoCal). It was overcast until we finished eating then maybe got to 85 by the end of the ride back in Yorba Linda. I forgot to put sunblock on at the start of the ride so I used my emergency tube I keep in my saddlebag. It's only SPF30 so I still got a little red but it's better than nothing.

Most cyclists I know do not carry sunblock. I know I cycle more than most of them, but even an hour unprotected under the noon-day sun can severely burn you. I know at least two ex-cyclists that have constant problems with skin cancer. They're always having lesions removed. Both of them are over 70 and they know their problems were caused many years ago so they tell everyone they can (including me) to use sunblock now.

On a similar note, I noticed a lot of cyclists yesterday that chose not to wear helmets. I don't care how slowly or carefully you ride and I don't care that you're on a bike path. If a fast group coming the other way makes a mistake, or someone's kid or dog forces them to swerve into you, you're going down hard and your slowness and care cannot compensate for their speed and mistake. That helmet could save your life, but only if you're wearing it.

I even see cyclists with helmets tied to their handlebars. That's retarded. And if you don't wear a helmet, your first crash could make you retarded too. Of course, you won't have enough functioning braincells left to regret not wearing your helmet. But your spouse, who has to spoon feed you for the rest of your miserable life, will surely regret it.

I speak from personal experience. Ten years ago I broke my bottom bracket while standing on a hill on PCH in Laguna Beach. I landed on my head. Even though I was wearing a helmet I was still knocked out and woke up in an ambulance. I still don't remember the 30 minutes leading up to the accident. My helment was destroyed but it certainly saved me from serious injury.

That goes double for kids - that's why there's a law.