Helmets became mandatory in professional road racing in 2003, following the tragic death of Andei Kivilev from head injuries sustained in a fall during Paris-Nice. With the adoption of that regulation died one of the most iconic images of professional cycling: the racer riding over the high mountain passes of Europe with their eyewear perched atop their bare skulls, cycling cap, or leather hairnet. That image may have died, but with the regulation came a massive push for innovation and improvement in helmet technology.
Prior to 2003, cycling helmet design took its inspiration largely from bowling ball technology; early racing helmets were spherical, heavy, and poorly ventilated. As a result, helmet adoption amongst professionals was spotty. When helmet use became mandatory, however, the pros insisted on lighter, better-ventilated designs – not to mention an improvement in aesthetics. (Which begs the question: are helmets today cooler because the pros wear them, or do the pros wear them because they are cooler?)
In addition to those problems came the question of what to do with eyewear; tucking unused eyewear into a jersey pocket is unpopular with sponsors who pay to have their products on display during a race, while placing them rearwards on the back of your head makes you look like you’ve suffered an accident at the hands of some kind of mad scientist. The solution was to design a helmet with large side vents capable of receiving the earpieces of eyewear in order to store them safely on the helmet while not worn over the eyes.
I have discussed in perhaps too much detail my obsession with cycling eyewear and my tendency towards claustrophobia set on by the feeling of overheating while having something on my face during physical effort. I suppose I have the option not to wear a helmet in training, but it could be argued that those who deem not to wear one perhaps have very little worth protecting in terms of the functional quality of their brains. For someone of my considerable intellectual capability, I would be doing the world – if not civilization at the evolutionary scale – a disservice by suffering a brain injury brought on by smacking my unhelmeted (and oddly proportioned) melon against the pavement.
With that, I feel justified in declaring eyewear-compatible helmet vents one of the greatest advances in bicycle technology.
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I'm not sure that 2003 was such a marker post. Seem to remember that there were some pretty good helmets going back to around '98. It's just that iwasn't wearing them. However whatever I was wearing (Giro I think) were glasses compatible and it wasn't until after 2003 that I had helmets that weren't glasses compatible, at least not with the glasses I had
Hmmm I'm seeing a common thread here and that is that I need to do better at my helmet/glasses choice and ensure compatibility
My LAS helmet, nice as it is, has this mesh lining thing on the inside, which prevents me -- if you can imagine -- from tucking my sunglasses in through the vents and looking cool like Frank. This is a bummer on climbs, or when I just want to take off my glasses.. i have to hook them on my 1/4 unzipped jersey, which is lame because they fall off easily and look kind of stupid. Perhaps I need to find a way to remove this mesh....
Foiled again...i got rid of the mesh, but the vent holes don't line up in a way to make it work with my glasses...
So, at some point during that final 10km climb of the Tourmalet this year, with Schleck, A going tete-a-tete with Bertie, I leapt out of my chair with great excitement (not strictly true - I was having a BBQ with the guys I'd ridden that stage with four weeks prior... admitteldy slowly, and with no great elan) not because of any sudden attack (this was a stage of mounting tension), but because Bertie had taken off his eyewear, and - very cautiously - folded them up and placed them hanging off the rear collar of his jersey at the back of his neck. COOL! I thought. INNOVATIVE! I've since been out and tried it.... and you know what, the little spanish guy has a point - it works.... Whilst I always do my best to adhere to the rules... I have an odd shaped noggin, an old cycle helmet, a tired pair of rudy project cycle glasses.... and that eyewear / cycle helmet coupling was never destined for success.... but thanks to Contador (bless him), I now have a Maillot-Jaune sponsored cool way to take my specs off without having them crushed or fall out of my jersey pockets when the Pyreneean mist descends (which, in the UK, is pretty much every day between 4am and 11pm). Watch the re-runs. Supercool. And no pistoleros either.
@roadslaveAye, I'm going to have to give that a go!
Ahh, helmets. Remember:
1. Ludo Diercksen's "soft" helmet from Rudy Project - in Lampre pink and blue no less; and
2. Cipo's 3-hole Briko helmet?
I believe the latter was designed by Briko to see how far they could push the theory of giving Cipo something really shit to see if he could make it look cool. He did! Unfortunately Ludo didn't (but he was still HAF).
Whilst a 10 second Google search didn't locate a decent image, I am sure I have seem Pharmstrong wearing a helmet visor on his road bike. COTHO indeed.
A Velominatus should be capable of the following:
1. Place eyewear in vents with one hand quickly and in one motion, sans fidgeting.
2. If the rider chooses to use two hands to stow the eyewear, they must sit fully upright, continue pedaling, and place eyewear in vents in one motion, sans fidgeting.
3. Regardless of whether you choose to use the one or two handed method, you must be able to hold your line throughout the duration of the action.
If one is caught violating these three requirements, then they are to be branded a Fred and publicly ridiculed until they can accomplish the stowing of eyewear in accordance with these rules.
@Omar
From this we learn that Little Tommy Voeckler (to judge by the bumbling and fumbling with his eyewear on his approach to the line at Bagneres-de-Luchon, which ended with him giving up and putting them back on his nose) is no Velominatus.
@Jarvis
I did over-simplify, because the Pneumo was around and didn't completely suck and it did (sort of) accept glasses, but massive leaps have been taken since.
To your point, yes, very carefully select eye wear and helmets. In fact, I recently bought a Bell Sweep (my second) rather than the newer and more carboney Volt simply because I trust the vents to hold my gear.
@KitCarson
Velominatus Jim owns a lovely, mostly unused Lazer due to it's inability to accept my shades as directed.
@roadslave
It's not a bad way to go in an emergency, but it's nowhere near as cool as the vent-option, and don't think I need to tell you which approach thusly takes priority.
That said, here's me riding the Tourmalet in '06 in said Tourmalet fog with the helmet I offloaded to Jim (see above for reasons why) with shades tucked in as described above.
There is no mountain the world I love more than the Tourmalet.