Faux Pas Friday: Function vs. Fashion

Let's see, where to start. Stem is backwards, handlebars are reversed and upside down, shifters mounted the other way to accomodate the bars, aerobars are useless, t-shirt plus shorts, rear rack, helmet straps over hideous sunglasses, rear rack, etc. I could go on, but you get the point. I don't know why they didn't choose another picture to advertise their ride...

Tour de France 2011 Special

*Spoiler alert if you haven't watched stage 19*

In the Tour de France, the leader of the overall competition (also known as general classification, or GC) dons the yellow jersey, or "maillot jaune" in French. This jersey has been to known to give its wearer a pair of wings, which was proven true in this year's edition. It has been action-packed in every stage for three weeks; names were proven, revelations were made, but also, hearts were broken, tears and blood were shed. Nowadays, yellow jersey wearers are typically outfitted with distinct yellow equipments like bikes, helmets, bibs, etc. Below are some examples from this year:

Philippe Gilbert in yellow in the stage 2 TTT. The Belgian-colored sunglasses go well with the yellow skinsuit, and check out the matching yellow watch!

World champion and sprinter, Thor Hushovd, climbed alongside some of the best climbers to hold on to the maillot jaune for a week. Must be because of the matching hoods and bar tape.

Probably the most defiant yellow jersey wearer, Thomas Voeckler wouldn't go down without a fight, even though he says he doesn't expect to keep it until Paris. Great bib and sock lengths.

Unlike in the Giro d'Italia special, there was no worst or best yellow jersey wearer; all three of these riders have done the yellow proud and in style. Tomorrow, Andy Schleck will start in yellow in the Grenoble time trial. We'll find out if he will be able to keep yellow, and more importantly, if he will show up on a stylin' yellow Trek Speed Concept.

New Cycle of Style feature teaser, guess what that is.

Faux Pas Friday: Podium Guys

Photo by Lyne Lamoureux.

As opposed to podium girls, Samantha Schneider gets kisses from podium guys. She looks really comfortable.

V for Victory

What better way to celebrate one's race win than having both arms in the air? The header of this blog says "looking good= winning", but one day, you might actually win a race. When that happens, you better be prepared to look good while winning! Until then, read on to get some tips on how to celebrate your race win in style.

Cyclingtipsblog actually showcased a good list of victory salutes, so it would be redundant for me to repeat what was already mentioned. Instead, I will review some of the most stylish victory salutes in the 2011 season.

The jersey kiss by Belgian national champion, Philippe Gilbert.

To show everyone how much you love your team (or your country in Phil's case), pull up your jersey and give it a kiss. Preferably after slaughtering everyone else on an uphill finish. Gilbert can do no wrong.

Tyler Farrar's "W".

Farrar's surprisingly Euro victory salute. He shines a big "W" to commemorate his training partner and best friend, Wouter Weylandt, who sadly passed away this May.

Borut Bozic with the "Prom Date".

This is an excellent victory salute because you can make fun of it, but at the same time shows genuine emotions. In this picture, Bozic looks like the girl of his dreams just asked him to be her prom date, hence both hands clutching his chest in joy, but he is obviously very happy to have crossed the line first.

Cadel Evans barely broke a sweat.

Evans won this tough uphill finish, but to show how easy it was for him, he nonchalantly wipes his forehead, as if that was the only drip of sweat he broke in the race. Very well done Cadel. p/s: Don't make fun of him, or he'll cut your head off.

The first Faux Pas Friday was very well received, so instead having them on last Friday of the month, FPFs will be featured on Fridays in between style tips. That means there will be a new post every Friday!

Faux Pas Friday: Jersey-less

Equivalent to TLC's "What Not To Wear", the Cycle of Style will feature what is considered a faux pas in cycling fashion in the last Friday of every month every other Friday (updated 7/8/11).

It's summer time and it's hot, but that doesn't mean you can go jersey-less and bibs-only like this fool.

More new features to come! Stay tuned.

Sunglasses and Helmets Revisited

Pretend that you put on your stylin' helmet before putting on your stylin' sunglasses, but then you face a dilemma: Do you put the sunglasses under the helmet straps or over?


If you answered over, congratulations! You are one stylish cyclist. In fact, rule 12 of the OREC states that sunglasses should be "worn over helmet straps at all times". You will be hard-pressed to find a professional cyclist wearing his/her sunglasses under the helmet straps.

Geraint Thomas, British national champion. Sunglasses over the straps, of course.

Even when wearing an aero helmet, Vino puts his sunglasses over the straps and pulls them out to show everyone.

If you answered under, either you haven't seen the light or you might be a triathlete (not that there's anything wrong with that). But it just doesn't feel right wearing your sunglasses under the helmet straps. Triathletes do it because they need to get their helmets on and off in a hurry, but as cyclists, we want to be different from these people who swim before and run after they ride.

These triathletes crashed because they had their sunglasses under the straps,  not because of their lack of bike-handling skills. Or is it...

Whenever you don't need your sunglasses, tuck them in the vents of your helmets. Many companies design their helmets so that you can stow away your sunglasses in a convenient fashion (no pun intended), while still showing off what sunglasses you have.

Scarponi showing how it's done. 

If your sunglasses don't fit into the vents of your helmet, you can also put them on the back of your head right under the helmet. 


By the way, if you are a smartphone user, the Cycle of Style is now available in mobile version. The URL is the same as the web version. Now you can read up your favorite blog on the go!

Giro d'Italia 2011 Special

This year's Giro d'Italia was a memorable one, to say the least: from the tragic death of Wouter Weylandt, to the controversial sprints of stage 2 and 17. Alberto Contador showed his dominance when it comes to the hills; an excellent feat, but made for a rather dull Giro for us spectators, though this is a bike race, not Jersey Shore.

All that aside, we're going to take a look at who wore the Maglia Rosa (Pink Jersey) best, and who needs to do their homework.

Best Pink Jersey Wearer: Alberto Contador

Love him or hate him, he was the most stylish when it comes to wearing the leader's jersey. The pink helmet and sunglasses are neat, not to mention the pink Boa reels* on his shoes. Some people may argue that he would look better with a pair of pink shorts, but later on, he did get a pair of shorts with pink bands around the thighs and pink contrast stitching instead, which looked outstanding. 

Worst Pink Jersey Wearer: Mark Cavendish

Mark Cavendish has had better days, in terms of his season and style. The pink helmet doesn't exactly match the pink on the jersey, and the black shoes are shameful. Can we please go back to the white/green shoes? Those looked fantastic with his custom signature socks. 

*The pink Boa reels are available through Boa with a minimum of $10 donation, which goes to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength. If you have shoes with Boa lacing, you should get a set of those. Looking good and helping a good cause at the same time? A win-win situation in my book.