COLLECTIONS

21/04

Silk material gains

Silk material gains "He won the Stage 6 time trial … with silk tyres and jersey to match… and a 56-tooth chainwheel”. Silk tyres and a jersey to match? Who wouldn’t aspire to such class on a bike. If ever there was a cool mise-en-scene of Eddy Merckx’s prowess that quote, reported by Cycling Weekly during the 1975 Tour, might be it. But the Cannibal was not the pioneer of silk as the fabric of choice for aerodynamic gains. It was used over 20 years before, especially on the track. Frenchman Roger Rivière was a big proponent of the advantages of silk. He won the world professional pursuit title in 1957 his first year as a professional. The next year, he repeated his win in Paris wearing a silk jersey and shorts combination, together with an early derivative of the aero helmet covers we see today. And in the same season he took on the hour record, pushing it up to 47km/h on the Vigorelli track in Milan - an effort that remained unbeaten for nine years. As Pierry Chany wrote, he nearly abandoned that attempt due to the wind blowing across the velodrome, “his entourage measured the strength of the wind: matches blew out and the smoke from cigarettes stretched out horizontally.” But eventually Roger appeared ready to go. “He was wearing a helmet covered in nylon, varnished shoes and a world champion's jersey made of silk.” Meticulous preparation wasn’t evented by the modern era. Picture above: Rivière being cheered on by Coppi, also a proponent of the silk skin suit. The advantages seen, or at least perceived, on the track were eventually transferred on to the road, usually for use in time trials For Ferdy Kübler, the use of a silk jersey in the individual time trial during the 1950 Tour de France both gained and lost him time. Kübler was known as an impetuous rider, who sometimes rode with his brawn rather than his brain. That year he had started the Tour steadily, placing inside the top ten in the first two stages and sitting ninth overall going into the stage six race against the clock. As a time trial specialist, he won the stage taking at nearly three minutes on his closest rival and moving into third place on the general classification. But his gains were cut as incredibly he decided to stop, mid-stage and exchange his traditional wool jersey for a silk one. The commissaires were not impressed and he was later penalised 25 seconds for discarding the regulation jersey. However the choice between wool and silk did not have to be black and white. In 1960 and Spanish racer, Guillermo Timoner seems to have pre-empted our Louise jersey by more than 60 years. He choose to mix wool and silk for UCI Motor-Paced World Championships as “The wool picked up some of the turbulent air coming off the back of the motorbike, so would pull me along because I sat quite upright, and the silk smoothed the airflow over my back.” Guillermo plied his trade on the track and it was on the boards where the silk jersey is perhaps most well known. Riders pinned their jerseys until they were skin tight. It became part of the culture that lives on to this day in Six Day racing. Added to the aerodynamic benefit was the fact that silk dried better than wool in the heat and humidity of the velodromes. As Cycling Weekly reported “silk is lighter than wool, it holds its shape better, and it takes colour well. Silk jerseys proved lighter, brighter, and crucially, faster.” And that was the case during that time trial won by the Cannibal in the 1975 Tour. It was the year that he famously showed weakness two days after being punched in the torso by a spectator. But before then he demonstrated his trademark strength with a setup whose description bears repeating; “… with silk tyres and jersey to match… and a 56-tooth chainwheel”. Our Louise jersey takes the creative thinking of the pioneers on the track and the road during the 50s and 60s and blends silk and merino wool, two of nature's finest fabrics, for ultimate thermoregulation, softness and stability. Take some material gains for this summer's cycling.

COLLECTIONS

16/02

Gravel Team - Maria Ogn Gudmundsdottir

María Ögn Guðmundsdóttir – "I'm turning 44 this year, it's getting serious!"– Born in Ísafjörður, in the magical Westfjords in Iceland– Lives in Reykjavik– Started cycling at 28 years old– Trained as a psychologist and a strength coach, now working as a gravel guide in Iceland and lecturer. Mum of two also! How and when did you start cycling? Besides cycling as a kid, I bought myself a good mountain bike in 2008 as a present to myself for giving birth to my oldest daughter – she’s now seventeen years old. I signed up for a big mountain bike race, it poured with rain the whole time, and at the finish, I got the strongest feeling of joy, all covered in and "eating" mud, and I have been hooked on cycling since then. How did you discover gravel cycling? I have been riding my cross-country mountain bike and my cyclocross bike on gravel roads since I got into cycling. So when the industry started to make specific gravel bikes, I of course knew the N+1 rule, and got myself a new bike. So I would say that the gravel found me on the Icelandic unpaved roads. What does it mean for you to be a part of the Café du Cycliste Gravel team? I'm super grateful, but it also adds hugely to my self-esteem that a brand like Café wants me to be on their team. I'm getting older – and of course wiser – and I can feel how my body and mind are starting to change, so it adds to my confidence and makes me proud of myself to belong to this French family. What races are you anticipating the most? This season my main focus will be on the Traka 360 in May and the Badlands ultra race in September. What do you think about the evolution of women’s gravel and women’s cycling in general? Love it, I freaking love it! When I started cycling there were not many women riding bikes in Iceland, and I felt responsible for encouraging more women into bikes. For many years, I organised many women-only beginner classes, events, trips, travels, and so on and on. Now, the biggest women's only social ride had 240 Icelandic women cycling together on a Sunday morning in May. Women are finally taking their time for themselves and riding together. The cycling industry has also taken a big step toward more women-specific cycling products, which also is a big encouragement. One of your best race memories No doubt the four days through Masai Mara in the Migration stage race in Kenya last year with the Café du Cycliste team. It's an experience that is hard to describe. For me, everything was so unique it offered so many challenges on and off the bike. I of course loved the everyday challenge of riding, the scenery, the animals, and the community of people living there. But I somehow loved the toughness I had to face off the bike: the circumstances, getting ready for the next day, getting some sleep, fueling my body, and all that fuss, I loved it. Any pro tips for race preparation? Get everything ready the afternoon of the day before the race, latest, because then you can eat your dinner slowly and relax the evening before, and you’re more calm going to sleep before the race. instagram @mariaogng