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
@Gianni
It was a beautiful time of my life.
At the risk of being excommunicated, I will be one of the few voices of dissent that speaks up for the much maligned headband. As someone with a Pantani-esque hairline, there is not much to keep the sweat from running in to my eyes or smearing my glasses. When I have tried wearing a cap under my helmet during the heat and humidity of the summer, I get noticeably warmer. In fact, during the Gran Fondo Philadelphia in 2010, I felt worse and worse at the midpoint of the ride until I wondered if I would even make it to the next rest stop. As soon as I took off the Headsweats skull cap that I had worn with the hope of avoiding a Darth Maul sunburn on my dome, I started to feel immediately better. I guess that since there's nothing up there to retain the heat naturally, any layer that is added retains heat and cuts down on the evaporative cooling. Perhaps those of us resembling Cipollini will not notice the added layer of a cycling cap as much during the heat of the summer. A Halo headband under my helmet does wonders for keeping my eyes and glasses free of sweat, but as soon as the helmet comes off, so does the headband. Of course it leaves a line on my forehead (or is it a fivehead?) that is reminiscent of the final scene from the movie Hannibal, which is definitely not for the squeamish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xx_hlStCL7g
I laughed at this probably harder than I should have: "...Sean Kelly would never have worn one, (god, please don’t let someone here find a photo of this)." Some riders, as noted above, could pull off the look. But picturing Kelly, and many of the Classics hardmen who shall not be named out of respect for them, as wearing headbands... just wrong.
I once had that Renault Gitane headband that Hinault is sporting. Thought it made me look awesome. (Delusion is strong in this one). Always wished I had the Blue Gitane bike to go with it. Got a Blue Colnago Super instead but it just wasn't the same...
@Oli
Is that a La Vie Claire jacket?
@chuckp
Our own Pat Cash didn't do a bad job either
Theunisse — a driven man.
1989 Tour de France, Gert pulls out a cap to finish with style.
My training manual clearly states that a sweat band is an legitimate piece of racing kit
Yep, been there... During the late 80's,I had blue lycra shorts (see pic in previous post, taken 1 minute before I threw them away) with pink jersey (still have and wear it) plus pink headband and pink wristbands. I liked it back then as it did keep sweat out of my eyes. When wearing contacts, sweat in your eyes is just killing. It wore out and got canned decades ago, never to be replaced again.
GJ Theunisse lost his hair while ago... GJ trying to get the Lion-look back
Follicularly challenged
Follicolly challenged