I plan to try criterium racing. Should I remove my helmet mirror for style reasons or use it during the first few races for safety? — Mike Hanson, IL
You’re gorgeous, Mike. A true piece of art. Most people would rely on conventional wisdom and say that running a mirror at a crit would be the equivalent of announcing at the start line, “Get within 5 feet of me and you’re going down.” But the stunning fact that you even conceive of helmet-mirror crit style suggests you might be flying somewhere above the constraints of convention. That earns you the Style Man Seal of Crit-Mirror Approval—as long as you win. If there’s any chance you’ll be anything other than first by 27 points, then you gotta settle in and be part of the pack, in which case, it’s not what’s behind you that matters—it’s what’s going on up the road. You don’t need a mirror; you need an LT like the guys whipping your ass.