Jonas Vingegaard as “Lord Helmchen”, his colleagues as yellow submarines: With their revolutionary new time trial helmets, the professionals from the top cycling team Visma-Lease a Bike caused a stir at the start of the Tirreno-Adriatico long-distance journey. But there was also a lot of ridicule.
“I don’t want to say the helmets are ugly. I’m just saying that it’s a good time to stop cycling,” wrote Belgian professional Thomas De Gendt on X. His Irish colleague Sam Welsford from the German team Bora-hansgrohe immediately added: “I’m quitting.”
“The aero helmet was rethought”
Visma and Tour champion Vingegaard took part in the “Ride Between the Seas” with their new Giro helmets – bright yellow monsters, estimated to be twice as big as standard head protection, with a mirrored visor up to the tip of the nose at the front and almost between at the back for racing use the shoulder blades were enough. “The aero helmet was rethought,” said Visma’s German sports director Paul Martens: “We see this as a big improvement.”
The cycling world gathered on the Internet saw this as an opportunity for a lot of fun and mischief. The piece was christened “Hell-Mead”. The Italian professional Jacopo Guarnieri posted a picture of Rick Moranis as “Lord Helmchen” from the space outfit Spaceballs. Helmchen, in the original Dark Helmet, is a satire of the Star Wars villain Darth Vader – only with a giant helmet.
Some others pointed out, along with images, that the Slovenian Primoz Roglic (now Bora-hansgrohe), as a Jumbo-Visma professional in 2020, was wearing an equally bizarre helmet during his decisive defeat in the mountain time trial of the Tour de France – only this one at the time was just way too small.
By the way, the helmet didn’t do much for the Visma team other than a lot of noise: the professionals from the Dutch team were disappointing in the time trial, favorite Vingegaard was the only Visma rider in the top 60 in ninth place – 22 seconds behind the winner Juan Ayuso after 10 kilometers from Spain. His helmet was an ordinary one.
Alex Westhoff Published/Updated: Recommendations: 14 A comment from Christoph Becker Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 5 A comment from David Lindenfeld Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 17 Stephan Klemm Published/Updated: Recommendations: 10
Meanwhile, outsider Arvid de Kleijn won the second mass sprint of the Paris-Nice long-distance cycling race. The Dutchman from the second-class Tudor team prevailed on Monday after 177.6 kilometers in Montargis ahead of New Zealander Laurence Pithie and his compatriot Dylan Groenewegen.
In the overall standings, Pithie took over the yellow jersey from the leader. The Hesse Jonasrutsch had to give back the mountain jersey he had won at the start. Although the 26-year-old secured the first mountain classification, he only finished third in the second and last one.
The Frenchman Mathieu Burgaudeau is two points clear in the standings with 15 points. There will be more than one winner on Tuesday. There is a 26.9 kilometer long team time trial around Auxerre. In the end, one of the three top favorites Primoz Roglic, Remco Evenepoel or Joāo Almeida could take the lead in the overall standings. The race that Roglic won in 2022 ends on Sunday in Nice.
