Rained out

As prepared as I was for the time trial, it was no surprise that I arrived at Lowe's Motor Speedway just more than four hours before my start time. No shock, either, that I was the first person with any connection to the race to get there. So I changed a tire, set up my trainer, rearranged other items to maximize efficiency, checked messages and read for a little while. About 5:40 p.m. I went for a lap to see if my freshly purchased time-trial helmet would cause my head to explode. No, but the wind is loud when it can go between your ear and the helmet.

When I got on the trainer about 5:50 p.m. I could see from my garage bay that the big flag was blowing south. Hard. Fifteen minutes later it was blowing north. Hard. Ten minutes after that a race official told everyone to get in the garage and said a decision on whether to start would come at 7 p.m. Then the sky opened; thunder, but none of the promised hail. I stayed on the trainer for a few more minutes but only pedalled distractedly. The race was cancelled at 7:05 p.m. The latest is that race officials are working with the track to see if a makeup date is available.

The day was nothing close to a total waste. Even though I didn't get to learn the advantages of the helmet and shaved legs, I get more time to just get used to the helmet. Plus I got to eat at Steak n Shake and enjoy my monthly cheeseburger ration. I'll probably go out along Old U.S. 1 over the next couple of weekends and see if I have the helmet positioned and sized correctly.

Decent Friday

The clock was ticking on my beloved Trek Vapor 2 helmet. We had spent thousands of miles together and been lots of places. But at nearly four years old, it was due for replacement. So, with a day off, I spent the morning shopping for a new helmet. A deeply discounted Louis Garneau Oz-zy (right) came home. The afternoon was devoted to christening the lid. To complete the ritual, tonight I might bite the head off a bat.

Why is the rent on my vent so exorbitant?

We received this question this morning at cycledork central:

Dear Cycledork,
Why do some helmets cost $30 and others cost $200? What's the difference? Aren't they all made of basically the same stuff as a beer cooler?
lady macsquish

Dear lady:
For the same reason that air-conditioning devices range so significantly in price: mass and efficiency. The helmet on the left has 17 comparatively tiny vents and provides all the comfort, in terms of weight and air circulation, of wearing an anvil. The Bell Women’s Bella Sport, now on sale at performancebike.com, costs $22.99. The helmet on the right, a Giro Atmos, has 26 comparatively humongous vents, all of which are larger than the vents on the Bella Sport. It weighs 275 grams, or about 10.5 ounces. Imagine wearing air-conditioned feathers. Plus it offers the same safety as the Bella Sport. The Atmos, now on sale at performancebike.com, goes for $134.99.

Though this is beyond the scope of you question, all of that said, the Bella Sport is the better tool for someone who isn't going to be riding very hard for very long, say no more than 15 mph for an hour or less. For racers or others who are cranking out miles for hours at a time or who feel the need to take every advantage, the cost for comfort or fewer grams becomes worth considering.

And I'm glad you mentioned beer coolers. Beer is close to my heart and never far from my thoughts. It is my hope that bikes and beer is a topic we return to many times in our dogged pursuit of cycling truth.
Yours in velophility,
Cycledork