I don’t know how many other dopers follow cycling, but the Cofidis rider Andrei Kivilev died following a crash in Paris-Nice yesaterday. 
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/other_sports/cycling/2844989.stm
oh, goodness. what sad news.
I saw that. Very sad. It happens too often. Lesson to be learned: people, wear your helmets. Can happen even to the best riders.
Oh, fuck.
I saw him laying on the tarmac yesterday as I was watching the highlights of yesterday’s stage. He must have been in a coma right then and there - no movement whatsoever.
It makes me think of Fabio Casartelli, who tragically died in the 1995 Tour de France. IIRC, he was wearing a helmet, but his temple right below the helmet hit a concrete block by the side of the road.
Helmets can only do so much, and a rider can’t wear a full face helmet - way too warm.
It’s a sad risk that comes with the sport, I’m afraid. But yes, certainly Kiviliev would have had a better chance had he worn his helmet in the first place. Perhaps it should be made mandatory in cycling.