Yeah I guess that is the thing for me. These athletes are idiot male young adults and they have about as much self control as a trained fighting dog. I was immortal at that age. No free will I was in thrall to testosterone.
I understand the joy of competition but these kids need actual, official help to be safe. F1 somehow managed it. I'm not against some road rash but going into a light pole/fire hydrant at 50mph will change that young person's life before they got to live it.
Solo/Private risks: fine, have at it. It is the official and monetary encouragement of risk that I disagree with.
Of course they show self control.
That is what stops 99.9% of junior, U23, world tour, pro and continental male and female cyclists braining themselves during their careers. The monetary encouragement to have a go in the first place is also what is in the mind of the riders when they are pushing on. They want consistent wages, and a long career with those wages, and this is what will cause a rider to dial it back a bit.
The risk, even pushing it to the absolute limit, of serious injury/death is factually VERY small when you factor in the millions of miles/hours they collectively spend on the bikes, racing and training, at speeds alot of us can only dream of. Added to the miles, time and speeds you also have to factor in the amount of cyclist we are talking about. Worldwide there are sooooooooooo many riding everyday in all weathers between all manner of obstacles.
Heart issues are a way bigger problem and even then it is still a very small number, affected. The heart thing is still better in cycling, though, than alot of other sports like football(soccer) and american football.
This is a fact. More of these cyclists we are talking about have been very seriously injured/killed in training by getting hit by lorries/cars whilst minding their own business, or getting an ice cream for thier kids in one tragic example, or have been killed by cartel members in the last couple of years, than in racing.