Rider Wrongly Blames Bicycle Federation

As I read Shav Glick’s (March 25) article on Barbara Buchan and was cheered by the story of one woman’s triumph over adversity, I found myself suddenly jolted by a few paragraphs at the end of the article.

It’s not pleasant to write hard words about someone who has had their fill of hardship. But having read Buchan’s comments on her suit against the U.S. Cycling Federation, I have to say something.

I also suffered a head injury in a sanctioned race. I also was wearing a leather helmet. I was lucky, my skull (and other bones) healed. I knew, going in, that cycling could be a dangerous sport. I knew that I should have been wearing a hard-shell helmet (in 1975), and today I wear one every time I get on my bike.

I am appalled that Buchan blames the organizers for not forcing her to wear a hard-shell helmet. The helmets were widely available in 1982. She had a choice to make. She made the wrong one, and she is paying for that choice.

Her story is one of perseverance and hope triumphing over that tragedy. Unfortunately, it’s also a commentary on our times. The Sierra Club can no longer sponsor climbs. Perhaps soon the USCF will be unable to sponsor amateur races.

Buchan’s story is a tragedy, brought on by bad bike handling and chance; I’m saddened that she chose to attack the rest of us who love the sport to satisfy her sense of justice.

MARC DANZIGER

Venice