The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.

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The story behind that photo
Hello,
Becky Brandt's dad here. Becky is at school right now, so I am writing in on her behalf. She took that photo at the WORS Ultimax Challenge in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, on October 9th of this year. It was the citizen/beginner race in the area simply called "the log jump." This guy hit the jump pretty fast, but never pulled up on the bars at all. The fork steer tube sheared at the threads when he was landing. He turned out to be okay. Nonetheless, they took him in for a visit to the hospital as a precaution.While he was laying on the ground, he was asking his dad to pick up the headset bearings and other parts so he could rebuild and give her another go!Thanks for the weekly photo contest. We have had a lot of fun with it!
Doulas Brandt
Kenosha, WisconsinMmmmmm… “Rebuild her and give her another go?” Maybe he should have been more thoroughly examined. Anyway, please give Becky our congratulations. Her book is on the way. - EditorMulti-talented Ponies
Dear VeloNews,
Somehow I feel that riders like Valverde, Cunego, Bettini, DiLuca, and Hincapie might take exception to Rob Soteros's claim that all sprinters are one-trick ponies (see "He blames Mario" in Monday's Mailbag). All of these riders are phenomenal all-arounders – Valverde out-kicking Armstrong on a mountain top finish in this year's TdF and then just missing the Arc en Ciel. Cunego, performed spectacularly throughout the 2004 season, winning the Giro outright in the mountains and then finishing No.1 in UCI points. Think about Bettini's ferocious "cricket" jumps past Petacchi's train at the Giro and then crushing the field in Zürich. Consider DiLuca. How many one-day races did this guy excel in? And don’t forget the fact that he finished only two minutes off the podium in the Giro d'Italia. What about Hincapie? He was second at Paris-Roubaix and went on to win the Queen Stage of this year's Tour?Granted, riders specialize more and more, but I fail to see how this is destroying the sport. A grand tour winner is just that, a grand tour winner.Now if a certain Spaniard were to win a Tour de France in a year or two and then go on and win a world championship... well, that would just be cool, wouldn't it?
Blair Berbert
Washington, DCDump the radios, but keep the helmets!
Editors,
I agree with Joe River re: race radios; the race would be more man versus man without the radios(see Joe Rivers' letter "Ditto"in Monday'sMailbag).However, and it was indeed noted by the editor, reversing the requirement to wear helmets so Joe can see the racers’ heads is a bad idea. When a human head hits pavement at 45kph, it cracks open like a watermelon. While I am not a big fan of laws protecting people from their own moronic behavior, the pros are role models for the next generation – the little ones. And the little ones should understand the reason for helmet use.

According to the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC,) bicycle helmets have been shown to reduce the risk for head injury by as much as 85 percent and the risk for brain injury by as much as 88 percent.
Enjoy the day.
Jamie Bridges,
Baltimore MarylandRiding without a helmet???
Dear Editor,
Writer Joe River has probably never worked in an emergency room or seen someone die before. The odds are good, too, that he doesn't have kids or for that matter friends he cares a rip for.Riding without a helmet? It's one of the few protections these pros (or any of us) have against injury and possible death and Joe wants to let the pros decide if they are going to wear helmets because he wants to see their heads and faces?!? He should have his own head examined.Having worked as an allied health professional for 18 years, I've seen more than my share of the consequences of not wearing safety gear. The use of a helmet by the pros (or anyone else who gets on a bike) is simply the best and easiest way I can think of to prevent serious injury.To even think that we should "let the pros decide" if they want to wear helmets is insane. If you give them a chance to make more money in a sport where their earning potential is increased by visibility, of course many will make the misguided decision to ride without a helmet. We humans are often short-sighted and will make decisions based on what seems best for them at the moment, not what is best for long term (like the safety of their own little noggin).This is one of the few times I really wish VeloNews had not printed a letter. Joe River is misguided at best, and completely selfish at worst.
Sincerely,
Alicia DavisThink a little
Hi,
Joe Rivers' comments regarding helmets are among the most ridiculous I have ever seen from one of your readers. That's like saying drivers should not be obliged to wear seat-belts because it may make us uncomfortable or feel restricted while driving. I think Joe may have forgotten about the fact that helmets (and seat-belts) save lives and that's why they are and should remain mandatory.
Tony Lee
Montreal, CanadaRetro, yes, but stupid, no
Dear VeloNews
Perhaps Joe Rivers should ride his steel bike (complete with toe baskets and lug nut wheels) back to the 1970s, where he belongs. His letter suggesting that helmet use no longer be mandatory, based simply on his wish to “see their faces and heads,” is both reckless and foolish.Compulsory helmet use was instituted following the death of Andrei Kivilev at Paris-Nice in 2003. It should have been instituted following the death of Fabio Casartelli in 1995... or better yet, before either man died. "Nostalgia" such as that demonstrated by Mr. Rivers has no place in modern cycling.
Darrel Hamel
Eagle River, AlaskaMany topics
Dear Velo,
I would just like to say that the JohnWilcockson articles have been great. Being old enough to remember the exploits of Phil Anderson, Sean Kelly and Greg LeMond, the stories brought back some great memories. I would also like to add some other names to the "all ‘rounders" list that Rob Soteros provided. Giuseppe Saronni and Francesco Moser were also great riders who won the Giro but also packed mean sprints.

Also, upon hearing the news about Dario Frigo I ask this question: Why do self-confessed dopers manage to serve their suspension and then get signed up by another team? I thought in the finger-pointing climate within sport at the moment, most team managers would not even think about it. David Millar had no problem finding a new team. Virenque finally admitted he was cheating and then gets re-signed. It seems talent is harder to find than dopers.As to the helmet and radio issues: give the radios to the dopers so they can talk to their dealers and keep the helmets on the heads of these amazing athletes who are hopefully, good sportsmen and cheat free.
Ian Sharp
Wollongong Australia

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The Mailbag is a regular feature on VeloNews.com. If you have a comment, an opinion or observation regarding anything you have seen in cycling, in VeloNews magazine or on VeloNews.com, write to WebLetters@InsideInc.com. Please include your full name and home town. Letters may be edited for length and clarity.