patentcad

We will all have to defer to your obvious expertise in this area.

I_Like_Bike

You could fall of a cliff golfing.

Cateye

Bowling, Bass Fishing, Bad mitten, Ping Pong, Curling.

Debusama

It’s kind of an apples and oranges comparison. The vast majority of cyclists leave vast majority races with nothing but muscle fatigue whereas in contact sports, people are beaten and bruised every time they step off the field. The likelihood of a debilitating injury or death when something does go wrong in a bike race is much higher. I think the risks of Cycling are more comparable to sports like Rock-climbing, downhill skiing.

AdelaaR

It's called "rugby" and it is the English ancestor of what you today call "american football"
There aren't that much injuries in rugby but it is a much rougher sport.

ravenmore

Incorrect. I've played both sports. In American football you hit differently because of the pads. The pads become weapons in a way. The impacts are much more severe. Not saying its tougher, just saying neither is Rugby/Aussie style either.

badhat

what on earth would compel you of all people to take a shot like this?

cmon dude.

patentcad

What compels you?

Velo Vol 

Yeah.

badhat

to what?

call vaughters a douch-e for his douchy NYT interview?

i'm sory if you were personally offended by that, or misunderstood the post as being directed at you.

patentcad

Yes, that. That in itself is rather dbagesque.

kr32

I would say that bike racing is dangerous for sure, I never really thought about it until yesterday sadly, being rather new to the sport.
But I did a very quick look see and would say that motorcycle racing is worse as far a mortal injuries go.
https://en.wikipedia.org<br /> <br /..._during_a_race Bike races

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...ycle_accidents motor cycle racing.

Very sad about yesterdays events... RIP Wouter

caloso

Agree. I played strong safety in Am. football and fullback in rugby. You'd be a lot sorer after a rugby match, and you'd have lots of bruises and abrasions, but no one was launching themselves at another guy and possibly breaking ribs and such.

badhat

well i'm sure he's relieved to know you've got his back on the internet

climber7

i think saying which sport is more dangerous is like saying which sport is harder. ESPN (i think) ranked the "hardest" sports a while back, and endurance sports like cycling and rowing weren't particularly high on the list. boxing was #1. sure boxing is hard, but it's a different "kind" of hard. same with danger. going downhill at 60 mph is obviously extremely dangerous, but so is getting tackled or checked 100 times a game. different types of danger, and i think it's all but impossible to compare them.

badhat

there was also pretty close to consensus in that espn article that the hardest single act in sport is hitting a fastball.

which is kind of an absurd thing to rank, but its also, just in terms of physics and coordination and psysiology, pretty hard to argue against.

pgjackson

Rugby has lots of one-on-one, face-to-face hard hitting, but in football the hits are harder and come from all angles from multiple players. There is no gang tackling in rugby. I've played both. If not for pads, players would get killed in football. Cycling is more dangerous in that the speed is greater, but nobody is actively trying to rip your head off. Injuries are a factor of accidents and very rare. In football and rugby, injuries are a part of the game. I will admit that a 5 hour road race is infinately more grueling than any sport on the planet...but I wouldn't say it's more dangerous.

I think if a professional cyclist did some hitting drills with the All Blacks or the Pittsburg Steelers, he would realize how safe his sport actually is.

caloso

I'd be more likely to fall off a barstool at the 19th hole.

vandalarchitect

I've never really understood the need to attempt to legitimize a sport by comparing it to another, especially if it's about measuring man parts by saying one is more dangerous or harder than another. Chalk it up to our competitive nature I guess, and the quote to JV's inferiority compex. Will the effect of the quote be a massive influx of 'macho americans' into bicycle racing? I doubt it. Will the this year's Tour get better ratings than the Super Bowl? I doubt it. Will any of us feel more macho today as we don our lycra? I doubt it.

zac

Certainly not a complete list, but compelling none-the-less

Deaths in sport
There are some follow-up links there too.

Also
List of professional cyclists who died during a race

pdxtex

dude, i think its just our own country that thinks this way. people go nuts for cycling in europe. regardless, rip wouter weylandt.

Santaria

Every sport has its own "safety" concerns. I don't think you could put them up on a board and compare them with any scientific validity.

Falling down at 30 MPH onto a gravel shoulder and sliding 50m sucks.

Getting blindside tackled by a freight-training linebacker who can sprint a 40 in under 4 seconds sucks. On a different level.

Getting a tendon sliced in hockey probably has some degree of suckage to compare it to the other two.

Unfortunately, none of them are comparable in "magnitude"

banerjek

I doubt anything was intended -- you just set yourself up. When someone is bent over a waste treatment pond or tar pit trying to get a better view, some find it difficult to resist giving a little nudge from behind. The result is always funny.

patentcad

That's the one we live in. And don't call me 'dude'.

patentcad

My intentions are often bad.