Aero road helmets have become standard fare in the pro peloton - and not just when the weather's chillly - James Huang/Future Publishing
Garmin-Sharp's new POC Octal road helmet, as worn by Johan Vansummeren - James Huang/Future Publishing
Ekoi provides the Ag2r-La Mondiale team with fully covered helmets for use in inclement weather (or, presumably, a bit of an aero edge) - James Huang/Future Publishing
Bontrager says that the covered exterior on Trek Factory Racing's new Velocis AW helmets isn't for aerodynamics - it's to provide more protection from the weather - James Huang/Future Publishing
Orica-GreenEdge's Scott Vanish Aero (left) and IAM Cycling's Giro Air Attack (right) before the start of Ronde van Vlaanderen - James Huang/Future Publishing
Belkin riders have been using a new aero road helmet from Bell - James Huang/Future Publishing
UVEX provides the the Giant-Shimano team with fully covered versions of its Race 5 helmet - James Huang/Future Publishing
Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) flashes a smile while wearing a Specialized S-Works Evade aero road helmet - James Huang/Future Publishing
The profile of the Specialized S-Works Evade is certainly unusual but if riders think they can gain time by using it, few will say no - James Huang/Future Publishing
Baby blue and white Sidi Wires for this Omega Pharma-QuickStep rider - James Huang/Future Publishing
This Omega Pharma-QuickStep rider went with DMT's Pista track shoes - James Huang/Future Publishing
Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) has just a bit of the uppers cut away from his left Specialized S-Works road shoe - James Huang/Future Publishing
Customized Shimano SH-R320 shoes for German sprinter Marcel Kittel (Giant-Shimano) - James Huang/Future Publishing
Norwegian colors for Thor Hushovd's (BMC) Giro Aeon helmet, plus a pair of throwback Oakley Razor Blades - James Huang/Future Publishing
Taylor Phinney's (BMC) shoe of choice is the lace-up Giro Empire - James Huang/Future Publishing
Movistar rider Alex Dowsett gets a pair of Bont Zeros in lime green to match his team colors - James Huang/Future Publishing
Fully covered Spiuk helmets for the Bretagne-Séché Environnement team - James Huang/Future Publishing
Bont's latest Vaypor shoes for this Garmin-Sharp rider - James Huang/Future Publishing
This Spiuk helmet has a removable cover similar to Lazer's Aeroshell setup - James Huang/Future Publishing
These Scott shoes are hard to miss - James Huang/Future Publishing
Light blue previous-generation Specialized S-Works shoes for this Bretagne-Séché Environnement rider - James Huang/Future Publishing
Fiber composite bridges adorn the Endura Airshell helmets of the NetApp-Endura team - James Huang/Future Publishing
Giro Factor shoes for this NetApp-Endura rider - James Huang/Future Publishing
We love Paris-Roubaix, too! - James Huang/Future Publishing
Bradley Wiggins (Sky) is another rider that has decided to go with Giro's lace-up Empire shoes - James Huang/Future Publishing
Sky has several Kask helmets at its disposal, including the slick Infinity (left) with its sliding vent cover and a fully covered version of the Mojito (right) - James Huang/Future Publishing
Some Tinkoff-Saxo riders went with the aero Specialized S-Works Evade helmet (right) at Paris-Roubaix while others opted for the more generously ventilated Prevail model (left) - James Huang/Future Publishing
Two-toned Specialized S-Works shoes for this Astana rider - James Huang/Future Publishing
More customized Specialized S-Works Evade helmets - James Huang/Future Publishing
Garmin-Sharp recently moved to POC for helmets and sunglasses. Regardless of whether you like the look, they're hard to miss - which, of course, sponsors love. POC should also be respected for its efforts to improve the safety of road helmets, too - James Huang/Future Publishing
David Millar (Garmin-Sharp) wore these custom fi'zi:k shoes at Paris-Roubaix - James Huang/Future Publishing
Cannondale riders get these slick Sidi Wire shoes in coordinating neon green - James Huang/Future Publishing
Meanwhile, Sidi provides Lampre-Merida with these extra-perforated Wire shoes in pink and green - James Huang/Future Publishing
Lampre-Merida wears helmets from Japanese company Kabuto - James Huang/Future Publishing
Rudy Project helmets and glasses for the Cannondale team - James Huang/Future Publishing
Cofidis keeps things in the French family, including this Mavic helmet - James Huang/Future Publishing
More throwback Oakley shades - James Huang/Future Publishing
Bright Giro Empire shoes for this Cofidis rider - James Huang/Future Publishing
The lower shell on Giant-Shimano's UVEX Race 5 helmet should make for good durability when they're stuffed inside race bags - James Huang/Future Publishing
Alpina helmets for the FDJ.fr team - James Huang/Future Publishing
The big strap on Lake's CX401 shoes doesn't actually do much in terms of function but it sure provides great logo placement when it comes time for the finish line photos - James Huang/Future Publishing
DMT's new Vega road shoes - James Huang/Future Publishing
Gaerne's G.Chrono Plus road shoes - James Huang/Future Publishing
Lotto-Belisol uses Lazer's new Z1 helmet with the Aeroshell cover - James Huang/Future Publishing
We've given you a good look at the bikes ridden this year at Ronde van Vlaanderen and Paris-Roubaix, but what about the rest of the riders' gear? Here's a peek at some of the shoes and helmets used during the cobbled classics.
Two trends stood out for us this April. One, riders love customized footwear. Whether it's a company providing special colors for an entire team or a particularly high-profile rider getting their own individual colors, the split between stock and bespoke versions was roughly 50-50. Standouts include Marcel Kittel's (Giant-Shimano) Shimano SH-R320 shoes with the colors of the German flag and his name on the strap, David Millar's (Garmin-Sharp) wild Roubaix-inspired fi'z:k shoes, lots of Sidis in team livery, and day-glo footwear from Giro, Bont and others.
Movistar rider alex dowsett gets a pair of bont zeros in lime green to match his team colors: - James Huang/Future Publishing
Alex Dowsett's (Movistar) lime green Bont Zero shoes
Second, aero is king – at least when it comes to helmets, where fully covered models and/or drag-reducing models seemed to roughly match the number conventional options. One might argue that the wet and chilly conditions at Ronde van Vlaanderen would explain the prevalence of fully covered models there, as riders certainly would have been seeking any extra warmth (and dryness) available, but we noticed similar distributions at Paris-Roubaix, too, where the conditions were comparatively balmy.
Tom boonen (omega pharma-quickstep) flashes a smile while wearing a specialized s-works evade aero road helmet: - James Huang/Future Publishing
Tom Boonen (Omega Pharma-QuickStep) went with Specialized's S-Works Evade for Paris-Roubaix
Teams reported to us that there's a simple reason why such helmets are taking over in the pro peloton: verifiable speed. Moreover, many riders feel that there is adequate airflow on aero models in all but the hottest conditions, especially at typical race pace.
Sky has several kask helmets at its disposal, including the slick infinity (left) with its sliding vent cover and a fully covered version of the mojito (right): - James Huang/Future Publishing
Team Sky has their choice of multiple Kask models, including the Infinity (left) and the covered version of the Mojito (right)
Click through the image gallery at top right for a look at what many of the top teams and riders used this year at the spring cobbled classics.
