As ever the Tour de France is serving us up a veritable smorgasbord of recent tech. Grabbing the headlines earlier than the race even begun had been a slew of recent bikes noticed on the Critérium du Dauphiné, and because the Grande Boucle has rumbled on we’ve had a drip feed of recent helmets, customized paint, and as ever some bonkers sun shades. Dylan Groenewegen was noticed in a set of Scicon Aeroscope biking glasses replete with a further ‘aero beak’, which is a €350 aftermarket add-on.
While the splash these shades have made has been sizeable, eagled eyed followers (and biking glasses connoisseurs) might have a way of deja vu; the identical beak has been seen earlier than on the face of Tim Wellens when he was using a recon of Strade Bianche approach again in March.
Regardless of whether or not they’re model new or not, there are just a few different eye-catching pairs of sun shades on the market from seasons previous, which I’ll regale you with now.
(Image credit score: Getty Images)
Oakley Kato
The Oakley Kato is so ubiquitous now, adorning the faces of Mathieu van der Poel, Jasper Philipsen, and document breaking Mark Cavendish. Cavendish helped develop what clearly paved the best way for the nostril bridge, and on the time of launch, they had been about as outlandish as biking glasses had ever been within the fashionable period. Personally I feel they appear wonderful, however by way of absolute efficiency they’re just a little breezy. There’s no exhausting aero information on them, however they appear slippery, so no surprise they’re Cav’s shades of selection, ignoring the very fact he’s had a career-long Oakley sponsorship.
The ‘Aero Beak’ is nothing in comparison with these (Image credit score: Courtesy)
Oakley Over The Top
Now we’re speaking! The Over The Top is probably probably the most iconic pair of sports activities eyewear ever created, and whereas the straps by no means actually performed properly with helmets, stymying its use amongst the peloton, David Millar did use a pair throughout a time trial, as did Frank Schleck, including their names to a larger roster of wearers that included the likes of Flava Flav.
I’d prefer to say we’ll by no means see something this bananas once more, however by no means say by no means!
(Image credit score: POC)
POC Propel
Not probably the most visually arresting of the bunch, however the POC Propel had been the primary biking glasses that I can recall which can be formally aero optimised. The good points are sub-watt dimension, however in a sport the place the good points have gotten ever extra marginal, it’s no actual shock to see them getting used an increasing number of on the faces of EF Education EasyPost this yr. Having used them myself, they do supply a whopping panorama impact because of a monstrous wrap, if you will get previous the aesthetics.
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(Image credit score: Will Jones)
POC Elicit Ti
Hard to identify, and fairly uncommon, the titanium model of POC’s light-weight Elicit glasses are a full gram lighter than the plastic-armed mannequin, and can set you again $400. I didn’t actually suppose we’d see biking glasses prime them by way of value, however if you happen to take the Scicon shades of Groenewegen and add the nostril piece the whole value is larger.
Still, these have the rarity issue as solely a small quantity had been ever produced.
(Image credit score: Getty Images)
Peter Sagan’s motocross goggles
Longtime Sagan sponsor, 100%, appreciated to equipment their star rider out with some outlandish eyewear only for his quite a few podiums. Many folks do not realise although that the model began within the motocross enterprise.
At one level the Slovakian celebrity was recurrently seen with motocross goggles on his head, or extra typically spherical his neck, following any race victory. Purists hated it, like when riders put on a baseball cap over a biking cap, nevertheless it definitely garnered headlines for the sponsors.
