The article in the Healthy & Fit edition of July 14 featured the story, “Ride of Their Lives,” the account of how cyclist Ben DuMont rode the 225-mile length of the Katy Trail in about 16 hours to honor his wife, Bridget, who recently battled and beat breast cancer. He also raised more than $5000 for the Komen Race for the Cure. The photo was as American as The Flag. Mom, dad, two boys on tiny bikes.

The dozen or so responses, including e-mail, telephone calls and two pediatricians,  spoke  in unison: What a great thing for a guy to do, kudos, he’s wonderful and “cool,” except … : The photo sends a message that it’s OK for adults to ride without helmets.

“I see this in Forest Park all the time,” said one response. “The father and mother make their children wear helmets and then they (the parents) don’t.”

A heart-wrenching letter told of a man’s brother-in-law who was about to embark on a great and positive change in his life, then fell from his bike, knocked himself into a coma and died later. No helmet.

Ben DuMont says he thought about all those things after he saw the photo, too. Rest assured, he says, he and his (really nice) family wear helmets on bicycle outings 99.99 percent of the time. This .01 percent? They knew they were to be photographed on this outing and didn’t wear the helmets  in order not to encumber the photography. In other words, it was a decision, not an oversight. Helmets are an absolute for his family, he says.

One caller suggested that our photographer should have said something. *sigh* Our photographers don’t question what someone wears, looks like or does. They shoot a documentary photo with no interference, posing or staging. Regardless of her feelings or observations, more than likely the photographer wouldn’t have suggested anything.

Fortunately, those who criticized the photo blamed us for running it, not the DuMonts. That’s fine with me. The DuMonts are a fine, fine family with the best intentions and I’m used to smoke.

And be aware, we know that one-eighth of all bicycle injuries are brain injuries; that most bicycle-related brain injuries could have been prevented had the rider worn a helmet and  a brain injury from a bicycle mishap is more likely to disable you than kill you. Incidentally, says Helmet.org the typical person injured or killed while riding a bike is a sober male over 16 riding in daylight with no helmet.