Team GB: Cycling gear guide

Helmet
Giro Ionis, £129.99

While custom-made, aerodynamic helmets were used in the Olympics, these have been put away until the next major championship. Now, Britain’s Olympians are using off-the-peg headware. The Ionis is the helmet supplied to the Olympic Podium Programme riders. For time trials on road and track, the usual wear is Giro’s aerodynamic Advantage.

Cycling shoes
Specialized Pro Mountain, £139.99

Olympic team shoes are left to personal preference, but many use custom-made carbon fibre-soled shoes from Australian company Bont (bont.com), which offer superior stiffness. Bont uses laser scans to create individual moldings. Some of its range is available to the public, with the full custom shoes advertised at A$945.

Cycling shorts

While the Olympic squad used a radical rubberised aerodynamic suit in Beijing (these have been shredded to avoid any getting into the wrong hands), for the moment they are back in standard kit issued by Adidas. The team’s shorts are bib shorts using mesh uppers to reduce perspiration build-up. They also incorporate invisible grippers on the hems that hold the shorts on to the thigh to avoid bagginess and flapping.

Sunglasses

The riders’ own (depending on what commercial deals they have). Most use American manufacturer, Oakley.

Pulse monitor
Pulse monitors remain the kit

of choice for performance monitoring among amateur cyclists and many professionals, but the Olympic team rely on SRM powercranks, which measure power output, pulse rate and time via sensors on the bike’s chain-ring. This is a more objective measurement than pulse rate, which can be affected by variables such as the weather and fatigue, and the data can be downloaded to a computer for analysis. They start at £1,799 from scientific-coaching.com.

Bottle cage and bottle

The item of choice for the Olympic team is Elite’s Ciussi bottle cage, a relatively old-fashioned design. “It bends a little so you can tighten it and it holds the bottle really firmly,” says Ernie Feargrave, Team GB’s head mechanic. “There are so many road races where they hit a level crossing or some cobbles and you see bottles flying everywhere. You don’t want to lose a race because you’ve lost your bottle.”

Pedals

Britain’s Olympic cyclists make their own choice, as this is a key contact point and they have developed personal preferences over years of riding. Many of the sprinters in the team use a highly sought-after obsolete pedal produced by Shimano – the SPD-R – which uses a metal cleat and provides a tight fixing for the foot. Old-style toestraps are also used, to ensure the foot cannot move.

Rain jacket
Gore Cross 2, £119.99

“There is a trade-off when you are choosing rain jackets: more rainproof means less breathable,” says Dave Parsons, purchasing and equipment manager for the Team GB. Through its supplier Adidas, GB cyclists have jackets that tend to be more breathable and a bit less waterproof – endurance riders are most likely to be wearing the jackets: they do not want to overheat and sweat when it rains.

Pump

These are vital, but are not supplied, so the riders look after themselves. Many still swear by the more old-fashioned frame-fitting pumps, as they are quicker to use even if they’re heavier and not as convenient to carry around.

Saddle

Also left to rider choice, with a variety of saddles to be found across the team. “Everyone is built differently so it’s whatever you get on with,” says Feargrave. However, the picture is complicated because international regulations do not permit customised models.

• Kit supplied by Condor Cycles, Grays Inn Road, London (condorcycles.com)

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