Cycling Weekly — February 08, 2018

(Jacob Rumans) #1

Icons of cycling


efore hardshell helmets became
the default option, winter
headwear for cycling offered
zero protection, but significant kudos
for originality and style. Woolly hats
kept the chill out, often at the expense of
sweaty, matted hair. Wick they did not.
Hard to believe but in the pre-helmet
era (mid-1970s), there was little in the
way of choice when it came to bespoke
winter hats for cycling. Today, there’s no
end of helmet types, skull caps, head-
bands and bandanas to complement
your winter riding ensemble.
Back in the day, a cyclist would
rummage in the drawer and pull on the
snuggest-fitting woolly number, possibly

The do-it-all winter


hat remains popular


for all sorts of cyclists,


on and off the bike


Belgian winter hat


knitted by their gran. If it had a bobble
on top, so be it — overcoming the extra
drag would pay off big time come the
racing season. Provided it covered the
ears and did not fly off in a crosswind, it
was pressed into service. Every type of
woolly hat could be seen on a late 20th
century club run, from ex-military cap
comforters to cowpat-shaped beanies
and itchy balaclavas.
On the Flanders plain, where Arctic
winds howl across the canals and fields,
riders like Seventies super-sprinter
Freddy Maertens pulled on wool
balaclavas with a sewn-on peak to shield
the eyes from driving sleet. That was
an extreme garment but in sub 10°C
temperatures, the Belgian winter hat
came into its own. Few things epitomise
Flemish grit and invention better.

Multi-talented
There are three parts to the Belgian
winter hat: the conical-shaped cap;

a peak on the front; and a ribbed or
extended flap around the sides and back.
Normally it’s worn with the peak flipped
down over the eyes and the flap pulled
over the ears, but in warmer weather the
flap can be folded up to create a cosier
version of the cotton racing cap.
Like its fair-weather cousin, the cotton
‘casquette’, it can also be reversed (with
or without the flap folded up) so that the
peak covers the neck. Cobbled Classics
hero Andrei Tchmil looked well ’ard with
his red and black Lotto hat rammed on
back-to-front. Or if you prefer the witch’s
hat look, Stephen Roche did it in style
during his Peugeot and La Redoute years.
Early versions were made from wool
and looked suitably crumpled, especially
when worn by a gnarled Flemish road
mender. By the Eighties, acrylic and
thermal fabrics took over and sublimated
printing enabled ‘anything goes’ graphics
which gave the Belgian hat a final hurrah
Words: Luke Edwardes-Evans / Photo: Graham Watson before helmets took over.


Stephen Roche (r) sports
the witch’s hat (no such luxuries
required for Sean Kelly)

62 | February 8, 2018 | Cycling Weekly
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