Team Jumbo-Visma rides with unique Lazer helmets during Paris-Roubaix to raise awareness around wearing bike helmet
This year's Paris-Roubaix cycling classic is all about raising awareness to wear a helmet while cycling. An initiative of Team Jumbo-Visma and partner Lazer. Through a unique helmet design, on which healthy brains are clearly visible, the riders of Team Jumbo-Visma are drawing attention to this initiative. It happens all too often that a bike accident results in brain damage, which could have been prevented by wearing a helmet.
Our brand is secondary to the importance of a bicycle helmet
Helmet manufacturer Lazer knows the importance of a bicycle helmet better than anyone. For more than 100 years they have been producing helmets that protect cyclists. The partnership with Team Jumbo-Visma gives the company the opportunity to draw attention to the importance of wearing a helmet during a major WorldTour race. However, wearing a helmet is not only of great importance during professional cycling. Every cyclist worldwide, whether you’re riding a kids bike or an e-bike, helps themselves with a good bicycle helmet. Here, for Lazer it is secondary what brand someone wears, as long as you wear a helmet. Sean van Waes, CEO Lazer: "We would rather see a lot more bicycle helmets being sold worldwide, even from other brands. After all, this is about protection for cyclists and their health."
For several years, Lazer and Team Jumbo-Visma have been working together to develop the best protection through bicycle helmets, with testing and research. The team therefore supports this message and is happy to use its authority to raise awareness. Richard Plugge, general manager: "The use of a bicycle helmet is fortunately no longer an issue in professional cycling, but outside professional cycling it is not yet self-evident to wear one. While it can prevent so much misery. We think it's great to raise awareness of this issue as a successful team - with the corresponding reach."
"We think it's great to raise awareness of this issue as a successful team"
Doctors also participate
The awareness campaign called ‘Use your head’, also gives the floor to doctors at UMC Maastricht who are closely involved in the Hersenstrijd initiative. Almost weekly, they come into contact with cyclists who have been in a cycling accident. Wearing a helmet, the doctors see, contributes significantly to minimizing possible brain damage.
Riders on the team are also very committed to the issue, including Coryn Labecki: "This campaign brings back a really great memory, because my dad used to say 'Use your head' to me before every race. Unfortunately he's not alive anymore, but he was my biggest fan. It is very special to ride with a helmet that reminds me so strongly of my father."
