Castelli | High Speed Race Wear

Riding in the winter often requires a mixed bag of gear, shoe-covers, full-finger gloves, wool socks, tights, jacket, skully, it can sometimes make it feel like you’re a gladiator suiting up for battle. With the well-designed Castelli Espresso Due Jacket, you can simplify that battle and ride without a engery-sapping, wind-flapping jacket.

If you’re looking for luxury and performance in a winter jacket, then the Espresso Due Jacket is the perfect choice. In designing the Espresso Due, we paid attention to even the smallest details to create the ideal blend of performance, fit, and style.

MEETING UP WITH ANDREAS KLIER IN FLANDERS.
Andreas Klier (Garmin-Cervélo), born and raised in Germany, moved to Belgium when he became a professional, and spent over a decade riding the region’s intricate web of tiny farm roads that give the biggest home field advantage in sports to riders who know all the secrets of their home turf.

Klier recently moved away from Belgium, but when he returned for a cold, December photoshoot with Castelli in 2010, the hardman was all smiles.

After picking-up Klier at Brussels Airport, we barely found our hotel in Molenwiek due to dumping snow and icy roads. When we finally got there, we sat down in the lobby with some beers while going over the schedule for the next day of photoshooting. Read the rest of this entry »

Most overshoes are much of a muchness but the Nano’s have a few features that set them apart from the rest.

The lightweight, stretchy fabric is a much more supple than normal – you’re hardly aware you’re wearing them – and the polyurethane face is waterproof, unlike standard neoprene. Rain and spray can slowly soak in through the seam that joins the upper and lower sections – it’s not taped – but your feet will stay drier than normal in these. Even if water does get in, they still keep your feet reasonably warm, like most other overshoes.

You don’t get as much insulation as with thick neoprene, but the Nanos keep the wind off and allow your feet to heat up inside. There’s good coverage around the sole too with just small holes for your cleat and heel, and that makes a lot of difference. We’ve found them about right for autumn use and milder winter days, swapping to something more hardcore when the mercury dips below about 7°C. Read the rest of this entry »

One winter tight for all conditions. A technical wonder!
Putting in those base miles over the winter and early spring should be as comfortable as possible.

On a dry day, the FLUIDO NANOFLEX WIND BIBTIGHT is a technical wonder—wind-protection, minimum seams, warm, stretchy and breathable. But when it starts to rain, the real magic kicks in.

DETAILS & FIT
The Fluido tight is curved to perfectly fit your body and won’t bunch and chafe, specially at the back of the knee, when you pedal.

We have increased the cold-weather comfort by adding SG0.6 Wind wind/waterproof fabric to the exposed frontal portions of the legs. Another panel is strategically located at the top of the crotch to shield you from cold winds.

Aside from the stretchy SG0.6 Wind fabric, the use of a combination of our super soft and fleecy Thermoflex fabric coated with millions of tiny silicone nanofilaments will give you the most water-repellent fabric finish ever.

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Shot by photographer Jered Gruber for the Castelli Summer 2012 catalog. If the poster looks familiar it’s because the organisers of the Giro d’Italia have unveiled the poster for next year’s race with the same majestic picture.

The picture commemorates two cyclists who will forever be linked with the race. Those riders are four-time winner, Fausto Coppi, and Wouter Weylandt, who died following a crash on a descent on Stage 3 of this year’s race.

The Giro recall the legendary Fausto Coppi each year through designating the highest point of each year’s race as the ‘Cima Coppi’ summit.

This year it fell to the Passo di Giau near Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Dolomites, where the stunning picture was taken with Peter Stetina (Garmin-Cervélo) in the picture. Read the rest of this entry »

When Johan Van Summeren and Fabian Cancellara staged their famous pursuit match in the final kilometers of Paris-Roubaix on a hot, dusty, dry April day in Hell, the Belgian had something special on his side against the Swiss powerhouse - a critical piece of kit that might have been the difference between sweet cobble kissing victory and a late catch by the dominant force on the pave this spring - the Castelli Sanremo Speedsuit.

It’s a heady claim, but Castelli’s ingeniously designed short/jersey combo slash skinsuit is claimed to save a rider significant time: 10-15 watts at 40 km/h. With a rapidly emptying rear tire, following a huge effort in the break, Van Summeren was certainly not hindered by his choice of clothing on the day.

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Comfort in cold weather can be difficult to dial-in. The Viva Thermo Headband is the perfect answer to chilly autumn rides. The stretchy and lightly fleeced Thermoflex fabric on the inside will trap warm air against your head, protecting the sensitive skin on your ears from the cold.

Garmin-Cervelo’s favorite glove for cool conditions. The Super Nano Glove is lightweight and flexible with Pittards leather palm for better grip and shifting. The back of the glove employ windproof fabric to keep the hands warm. The elastic wrist closure keeps air out while making it easy to stretch for pulling the gloves on or off. Read the rest of this entry »

Fall is coming, and it’s time to begin planning your off season training. Transitioning from a summer cycling routine to a less intense winter program will not only maintain a good foundation or base for the ramp up that will come with your early spring rides, but also minimize the risk of catching a cold. Always, make sure to awear proper clothing to protect yourself against the elements, learn from other riders, then you’ll always be one step closer to achieve your next goal.

Have patience is easy to say, but not always easy follow. My 22 years of cycling, including 12 years of racing taught me many lessons. Here are some of the little things which helped me to achieve my personal goals.

HAVE PATIENCE
Every January and February for years, my cycling mates won the sprints on training rides, or could stay up front leading the pack for a longer time even in higher wind resistance while I just hung on. When May came, I left most of them in the dust and took all the hill-sprints.

REMEMBER TO RECOVER
It’s great to want to improve and push your limits. But many riders work too hard without allowing the body time to recover. Building aerobic power takes years of consistent training. To become a better cyclist, you must manage your energy levels. Read the rest of this entry »

After two consecutive 2nd place finishes in the Red Hook Crit, Neil Bezdek absolutely dominated the 2011 RHC Milano taking first overall, fastest lap and both race primes. The podium was completed by last year’s RHCM winner Jon Ander Ortuondo in second and Al Barouh in third place.

In fourth place, Italy’s Francesco Martucci, as best placed Italian he was awarded a plane ticket to New York to contest the next edition of the race where he can try to make an impact on the race’s viciously selective home course.

Red Hook Crit Highlights, Milano, Oct 15th. 2011.