We’ve got our hands on the Oakley Velo Katos, designed for the 2025 Tour de France, which feature characteristic but fairly understated details.
If you didn’t know, Oakley is the official sunglasses sponsor for the Tour de France. Each year, you’ll see members of the peloton wearing special-edition Oakleys in honour of the Grande Boucle.
The Oakley Velo Katos were only released last week, but we’ve already got our hands on the Tour de France version. They’re not as bold as some previous Tour de France specs, but they’re still pretty eye-catching with their huge lens, vents and peculiar arms.
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Mellow yellow
In previous years, Oakley has released sunglasses for the Tour de France with pretty bold designs.
The 2023 glasses had what appeared to be yellow and black camo frames, and the 2021 collection celebrated the colours of the French flag – or interpreted them, might be a better phrase.
But for 2025, these Velo Katos suggest Oakley is taking a subtler route. The frames are black and only at the temple do you see the yellow of the maillot jaune.
One corner of the lens is also etched with the Tour de France logo. Expect to see a close-up shot of that in a few months.
These specs don’t fold
The Oakley Velo Katos share much in common with the older Oakley Katos. They have a similar lens shape that extends around the face and down over the nose.
But one strange difference is these new specs don’t have hinged arms, so you can’t fold the glasses down.
Oakley says these arms contribute to the aerodynamic design of the Velo Katos. However, Oakley hasn’t provided any numbers to back up that contribution.
Another difference between the Katos and Velo Katos is here the ventilations cut into the lens. Oakley says these ensure air circulation and should prevent the glasses from fogging up.
Oakley’s signature tech
Elsewhere, the Oakley Velo Katos feature the tech that Oakley uses across its cycling sunglasses.
The Prizm lens is said to enhance colour and contrast, revealing details in the road ahead.
Oakley says the Unobtanium nose and temple pads will help keep the Oakley Velo Katos in place, even when riding hard, like Tadej Pogaçar up Planches des Belles Filles.
When Oakley released the Velo Katos last week, they were the most expensive in a new trio of sunglasses. The new Oakley Sphaera Slash and Radar Plate cost about a third less, singling the Velo Katos out as the premium choice at £271.
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