In Memoriam: The Headband
Like the Spinaci bars, the headband was cool, effective and disappeared quickly. While the Spinaci was outlawed by the UCI for being too radical, the headband couldn’t co-exist* with the newly arriving hard-shell helmet and it said arrivederci, I’ve heard something about this ‘step aerobics’, I’ll go there.
Headband crossed national boundaries: Jean-François Bernard, Roberto Visentini, Dag Otto Lauritzen and Davis Phinney all engaged them with aplomb. It was form and function. Who doesn’t want to keep the eyes clear of sweat and who doesn’t want to look more awesome? Who, damn it?
This was more than a sweatband, for sponsors it was a chance to increase the billboard surface area. For certain riders it was also fashion statement, like extra wide bell bottoms were a fashion statement. Pulling off the headband required having good hair or at least high hair. One would think Super Mario should have killed one (hair and Italian) but no, headband would interfere with his succession of perms and hair gels festivals. Even Mario realized he could have too much going on up there. On the other end of the spectrum, Sean Kelly would never have worn one, (god, please don’t let someone here find a photo of this). In the middle of the 1980’s spectrum, experimentation was rampant, they were rocked by Hinault and Fignon. It was a crazy world back then.
*Gert-Jan Theunisse somehow made it co-exist, as only he could (see below).
The little seen pink headband, grazie, Roberto
@chuckp
Davis Phinney is the best, a class act. I got to meet him and race along side, briefly that is, at the Hotter Than Hell 100 in Wichita Falls, Texas many, many years ago.
@frank
And with a permanent headwind.
@frank
What. A. Man.
@Chipomarc
Has anyone got a picture of Coppi with a cabbage leaf on his head – if we have photographic evidence does this mean that we too can put cabbage leaves on our heads?
Pro – not Fantastic…
Love seeing the 80s photos right now, as I have to wait until the 25th to open my gift-to-self-given-by-mother-in-law, a Turbo saddle for one of my classic steel bikes.
Good god, I pulled a terrible oddball Fizik saddle off my rain commuter yesterday and put on a Rolls. The change was immense. (not that I hate Fizik saddles, have a Gobi XM on my cross bike, but this one was baaaaaad)
Luca Paolini and Assos Man – the only two humans to own those granny shades?
@EBruner
Very cool! I’m also fortunate to have met Connie Carpenter (on a different occasion). She is a great lady.
@Jason Wright
Oh shit. I think you’re right. And what’s worse, I think he wore it when he got his only yellow jersey in the Tour. Talk about ruining a career highlight.
@frank
Look at the last pic on the Champs Elysees from 1983. Reynold rider (Delgado) wearing a cap. Looks good. Fignon wearing a headband. Also looks good. Peugeot rider? Wearing a headband and a cap. Fail.
I’m checking out that very cool photo from the Champs-Elysees and have an interesting thought. If those three bikes were painted black without Pinerello, etc labeled on ’em could we tell them apart? Contrast those bikes with bikes today: Imagine a Pinarello F8, Speshy Venge and Trek Madone in that photo all painted same black… we’d still be able to ID the three separate bikes for what they were.
It’s possible that we’re in the golden age of bike design right now thanks to carbon yes? Hmmm
@wilburrox
I get your point. Lugs aside, I doubt there’s much difference between the Pinarello and the Gitane. The Peugeot is an early carbon-fiber model with the three main tubes being carbon.
What I find really interesting is the positions of the three riders. All three are roughly in the same position but Mr Peugeot is sitting much lower than Delgado and Fignon is sitting pretty far back to judge from the POV of dropping a plumb line through the kneecap to the pedal spindle.But, again, unlike today, the saddle-bar drop differential is much less than today as they are riding bikes with conventional geometries and pronounced fork rake. Delgado seems to be riding pretty shallow bars too.
@wilburrox
Especially as a lot of those bikes from the steel and alu era were specials made by boutique craftsmen and not what they were painted up to be as stock bikes on sale.
@Teocalli
LPGA at that.
@Teocalli
in fact see here
@Gianni
No, sadly I don’t live in Italy. If I did, I probably wouldn’t have been so depressed about missing him since I might have another chance. I’m in Phoenix, AZ so the chance he’ll ever come back is close to zero.
@MangoDave
WTF is Eros doing in Phoenix? Good god, his eyes will be damaged by the harsh light and some might say, blighted landscape. You are right, that was a chance of a lifetime. Now we must go to Verona and find him where he lives.
I like Tucson so maybe I would like Phoenix. I’ve only been there to drive away quickly from the airport. If we ever do a Keepers Tour out of Bergamo Italy we will have to invite Eros. He can be the Museeuw of the Italian Keepers Tour.
We might already have a place to crash.
@frank
I am neither pro, nor an arbiter of taste, but I have to say that Phil Armstrong is looking a little goofy here with an oversized cap on top of his helmet.
@Gianni
Keepers Tour in Italy? Sign me up!
Phoenix is a good place to ride, especially this time of year, except for the short daylight part. The city itself sucks pretty bad for cycling, but it’s not hard to get out and find some fun routes.
I didn’t know why he was here, so I had to look it up:
http://ingamba.pro/igb_blog/coming-to-your-home-town-eros-poli-is-on-the-road
Oh, yeah – headbands. Now the thread is back on track.
@cognition
I never felt comfortable about it when he was riding around with that yellow stuffy chicken tied to his stem.
@wiscot
The Peugeot rider is Le Skippy.
@the Engine
Photographic evidence of The Badger in a granny rain bonnet. I’d sooner wear one these than a headband.
cool shot. These bikes. Those shades. The Casio.
@piwakawaka
@piwakawaka
The physique. The attitude. The hair. The palmares. Who seriously gives a shit about his cap or lucky charms? Phil Anderson was the effing man when I was a kid. Still hammers it, even now.
Found another great headband pic.
Ronan Pensec, TdF ’90
Much better to keep eyes clear of sweat than to hit car cause you couldn’t see it because sweat got into your eyes because helmet don’t prevent that, prevent rather than cure.