Oh Jaja, why so French? photo: Eric Houdas
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).
I know as well as any of you that I've been checked out lately, kind…
Peter Sagan has undergone quite the transformation over the years; starting as a brash and…
The Women's road race has to be my favorite one-day road race after Paris-Roubaix and…
Holy fuckballs. I've never been this late ever on a VSP. I mean, I've missed…
This week we are currently in is the most boring week of the year. After…
I have memories of my life before Cycling, but as the years wear slowly on…
View Comments
@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.