Nu är den ju redan ordentligt lång den här tråden men jag kan ändå inte låta bli att bidra med lite sant Happyistiskt akademisk visdom.
Saxat ur en Nya Zeeländsk avhandling av Brendan Anstiss
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This next graph is all about alcohol and drugs! Cross-country riders use slightly more legal supplements (Leppin, Powerade, Exceed etc) than downhill riders. But the downhillers make it up with the other stuff. They use more alcohol, marijuana, performance enhancing drugs (steroids), and other hard drugs (cocaine, psychedelic drugs etc). But over-all use of hard drugs is still pretty low.
This last graph gives percentages for involvement with the police. Again downhill riders are more likely to of been warned, arrested, and convicted (non-traffic offence). Only 2 of each type had been to prison. Amazing that almost 50% of downhill riders had at some time been officially warned by the police! Didn’t ask what they were warned or arrested for but given the previous data on drug use, this may make up a big proportion of it.
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In summary, people who take risks in their sport are also more likely to take risks in their driving, alcohol and drug use, and criminal behaviour. There are always going to be exceptions, but as a whole, downhill mountain bikers (and high sensation seekers) are more likely to have a mountain bike accident, drive a car faster, drive while drunk, have a motor vehicle accident, use alcohol and drugs (but not cigarettes), and more likely to be involved with the bad side of the law!
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Kan inte tänka mig att undanhålla det här heller (från samma avhandling):
Academic Research on Mountain Biking Mortality and Morbidity
Summary
In conclusion the research data obtained on the frequency and severity of injury as a result of a mountain biking accident varies widely depending on the population surveyed, the research design and the definitional criteria for injury cases. Using a retrospective design Chow et. al. (1993) found that 84 per cent of recreational mountain bike club members had received an injury in the preceding year. Using a similar methodology Kronisch and Rubin (1994) found a comparable injury rate of 85.7 per cent among competitive mountain bike club members. Among a select sample of competitive racers, Pfeiffer found injury rates of 90.5 per cent (Pfeiffer, 1993) and 88.5 per cent (Pfeiffer, 1994). Among observational studies at particular events and employing a stricter criteria of injury, Kronisch et. al. (1996) and Pfeiffer (Unpublished, 1995) reported injuries (as a percentage of overall race starters) of 0.40 per cent and 0.45 per cent respectively. There is considerable evidence to support the notion that downhill mountain biking is considerably more dangerous than cross-country mountain biking. The vast majority of injuries appear to be sustained when riders are negotiating either a downhill course or a downhill section of a course. It would thus be expected that exponents of the mountain biking discipline of downhill racing will report significantly more injuries than their cross-country counterparts. The current study provides epidemiological research on the prevalence and severity of injuries sustained by both downhill and cross-country mountain bikers. It also investigates the contribution of the personality characteristic of sensation seeking towards involvement in a variety of risky behaviours.