"But when you have a spinal injury it must be taken seriously."

I know the danger is part of the excitement of cycling, but I'm still surprised by the grave injuries cyclists sometimes suffer. I hope he can make a full recovery and get back on his wheels soon.

Denise, your perception is interesting. As a cyclist (albeit not a racer), I watch events like the Tour de France because I understand the physical (and mental) demands they make on the riders. The last thing I want to see is a crash. Unlike with Nascar where it's really unusual for a driver to be hurt, even in the most serious pileups, the pro bike riders are very vulnerable, and injuries are almost guaranteed whenever someone goes over the handlebars.

It gives me the willies just thinking about it.

Eric, you're right. I don't watch bike races hoping to see a crash, nor do I ride my bike hoping to have a wreck. And certainly pro racers avoid injuries as much as possible because it can sideline their career (see Ekimov). So I guess I mis-spoke about danger being part of the allure.

It is for mountin biking though. I had a friend who went mountain biking and cracked a rib. Then he sent me pictures of all his bruises like he was proud of them or somthing. Of course, he's sort of crazy, so...

Oh, yeah...mountain biking and its certifiably insane cousin, downhill racing are definitely "live on the edge" sports, especially for amateurs. The pros have enough to lose that they now look like something out of "Robocop," with their kevlar body armor and fullface helmets.

The things about mountain biking is that you rarely...well, never...achieve the kinds of speeds that the roadies do (downhill racing is a different matter), and an unpaved trail is much more forgiving than asphalt when you crash. Having said that, my wife and I both have had more serious injuries mountain biking than road riding.