Tony Seagrave: why a concussion sensor should be compulsory in downhill
In downhill we talk about helmets, airbags and neck braces. We talk far less about what happens inside the skull. For Tony Seagrave, a concussion sensor should be compulsory in racing.
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A concussion that changes everything
Tony Seagrave is the team manager of Orbea FMD Racing. His daughter Tahnée went through a concussion that cost her a season, and a lot more than that. Since then he has paid out of his own pocket to understand it. He has tested the sensors sold to riders, and he says plainly that some of them do not do what they claim.
The answer came from rugby
He found his answer in rugby, through the supplier of the mouthguards used in the Six Nations. For two years, Tahnée has been riding with a retainer fitted with a chip. It sits against her teeth, so against her skull, and records every impact above a certain number of G, on a race run as much as on a practice lap.
Why it is not yet the case
For Tony, that device should be compulsory in racing. He also explains why it is not, yet, and tells you what nobody sees from the outside when a rider comes back from a concussion.
Chapters: 00:00 Tahnée’s concussion · 01:36 Sensors that do not deliver · 02:17 What rugby had already solved · 03:35 A connected retainer · 05:51 It should be compulsory · 08:01 You don’t see a brain break
This clip comes from the full episode with Tony Seagrave: https://youtu.be/GVx7mRN0T6A. And you? Do you think a concussion sensor should be compulsory in racing? Tell us in the comments.
