Words Tom Southam
Image Supplied

You will have undoubtedly noticed that this year, a couple of helmet manufacturers and teams have gone a step further down the road with their aerodynamic offerings – and have made what are effectively TT helmets that are adapted to road racing.

Visors are nothing new in the bunch, nor are covered lids, but the latest versions of the road aero helmet are quite the departure from the traditional aesthetic of a road racing cyclist.

The image in my mind when it comes to what makes a cool looking road racing cyclist is a thousand miles away from the racers of today. My first hero was Tom Simpson; short white socks, black shorts, a cloth cap and Ray Bans in mid-summer. I also grew up following racing in the 1990’s, when Italy led the way in world cycling and style (plus quite a lot of EPO abuse) always appeared to take precedence over just being fast – so much so that when I started racing myself, the phrase, ‘never sacrifice style for speed’ was often (jokingly) thrown around.

Speaking as someone whose riders wear probably the most extreme example of this, with POC’s dramatic offering, I can only say that for all the controversy that the shift in cycling apparel has stirred up among cycling aesthetes, all the riders care about in road racing are the magic watt saving numbers, and that’s not about to change.

In the meritocracy of cycling, the coolest person will always be the winner. At first it’s Noemi Rüegg at the Mallorca Challenge, or Alberto Bettiol at Milano-Torino but soon enough in your local club races one, then two and then multiples of aero helmets with visors will appear.

When I talk to current riders it becomes apparent that the dial has definitely shifted. Hugh Carthy was probably our last old-school rider who wouldn’t be seen dead in silly aero stuff, but riders of the current generation – where Ben Healy is a prime example – couldn’t care less what it looks like; they just want to go through the air quickly – or be ‘slippery’ as is the parlance of the time. It is a much more performance-oriented mindset that determines what is cool and what is not.

When I raced, I deliberately didn’t wear glasses because I figured that being the only face not covered by dark glasses in any picture of the bunch instantly made me more recognisable, marketable, and ergo more employable. People often thought (wrongly) that I didn’t wear glasses because riders in ye golden old days of the past didn’t wear glasses – that just wasn’t the case.

Of course I had to do things like that because I was such a slow cyclist that I needed a couple of tricks up my sleeve. Ultimately, if you want to be more recognisable, marketable and more employable, the best way is to win races and, if you can’t do that, the thinking now goes, then you had better at least look like you’re trying to win races.

Part of the reason that all riders look like ski jumpers, and will continue to do so, is that these days there is believed to be so many advantages in what the riders wear that if you see someone who doesn’t have an aero helmet, or aero socks, or has round handlebars then no one thinks: ‘Wow that guy looks cool, he doesn’t go for all these fads.’ Instead, you tend to think; ‘Look at that idiot, he doesn’t even have aero socks on. Why bother?’

Since the start of the year, I’ve had countless people shake their heads and say to me; ‘Yeah but what do they look like?’. My only real response these days is; ‘Yeah but it’s so fast!’ Ultimately, that is what I care about as a DS; it’s what the riders care about as athletes; and it’s what the fans care about as spectators.

Winning with style is important, of course, but style is also winning, not riding around at the back with a dated image of what is cool. Otherwise, before you know it, you are the person complaining that jeans are too tight or too baggy, or that the platform soles are too big.

The times – as Bobby sang – change, and continue to do so. So, strap on your aero helmet, skinsuit and fastest socks, embrace the change; we are going for a ride.