Last update - 00:00 18/06/2007
Making the ride safer
By Danit Nitzan
Two men collapsed and died while cycling on Saturday: A 70-year-old man near Moshav Odem in the northern Golan Heights, and a 58-year-old cyclist near Neveh Shalom. First response teams pronounced both men dead at the scene.
In the wake of these unfortunate events, medical personnel say that physical activity is generally healthy, but that both recreational and professional athletes should have regular health examinations.
"Most of the 80,000 cyclists in the country ride for their own pleasure, and this is a healthy and beneficial form of physical exercise, so long as you take into consideration your level of fitness as well as your capabilities and limits," says Dr. Yoni Yarom, president of the Israel Cycling Federation and an expert in sports medicine.
The Israel Heart Society recommends regular check-ups for every man over 40 and every woman over 50, especially those with risk factors including hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking and obesity.
"Many cyclists suffer from these risk factors," says Yarom. "I don't know what the precise circumstances were surrounding the two deaths and whether the men cycled daily or only on weekends, how fit they were, how difficult the ride was, or even their general medical profiles. What I do know is that one can count on one hand the number of people who die cycling, while the number of those who drop dead while sitting on the sofa and watching TV is hard to count."
In the long run, "anyone who is physically active lessens his chances of contracting a fatal heart disease versus someone who does not exercise, and the benefits of physical activity far outweigh the risks," Yarom says.
Magen David Adom officials say that most calls regarding injured cyclists they receive come from outlying areas, which makes first aid extremely important. Alex Kaplan, spokesman for the Israel Cycling Federation, said the organization would be happy to cooperate with MDA in holding resuscitation courses for cyclists. He said the federation was acting in accordance with sports legislation in demanding that all competition participants undergo annual ergometric examinations, and that its members receive discounts on such exams. Kaplan said he hoped the cyclists would undergo medical fitness tests for their own good. He added that the federation expresses its sympathies to the families of the cyclists who died.