did it change this year? no more getting rid of the helmet for altitude finishes?
It sure did, I don’t remember where I read it, but beginning this year helmets are required from start until finish.
Axel Merckx and Van Summeren weredq’d from Paris-Nice for not wearing one during a mt top finish. Apparently, they didn’t know either. 
Next they will require knee and elbow pads.
and why shouldn’t they? we have to wear helmets the entire length of our tris. helmets these days are so light you barely notice them anyway.
nope…I never wear my helmet in the water and on the run. if you’ve done that…stop! you look ridiculous! 
I don’t think it has as much to do with weight than with heat and comfort. If you’re climbing Alpe d’Huez and its 90 degrees you’d probably want that 5mph breeze in your hair.
except that half the pro riders still wear hats when they go helmetless
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I coulda sworm I read that the riders were still allowed to lose their helmets for a mtn top finish. Wish I could remember where… I do know they are mandatory at all other times.
Perhaps with how the race played out today, they just weren’t able to? Or didn’t want to be bothered?
merci francois,
i wondered why my swims were always so slow…
on the other hand. the helmet has been useful on the run, when i head-butt the people in front of me.
Chris Carmicheal said it is actually cooler to wear a helmet than go without. They block the direct sun. I guess they did some tests with thermometers taped to riders’ heads. The same reason people running those ultra marathons through the desert wear long hats and long sleeves. Lance said he rode w/o one on the final climbs because he was used to it and felt more comfortable that way.