Sometimes it's hot, just very hot. But you still want to go fast. When you are pushing hard, your body produces an enormous of heat. For every 100 kilojoules of energy you burn, 20-25 kilojoules are transferred into your pedals. The rest turns into warmth.

If that heat does not dissipate quickly, your core temperature will rise and harm your performance. Clothing that allows your body to cool itself effectively is essential, especially for high-summer days in the mountains. Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s riders know that well.

During the Tour de France, the mercury often rises above 40°C in the Pyrenees and Alps. To race up such steep cols, they have to expend huge quantities of energy, though their actual speed remains agonisingly slow. That means that there is very little airflow to evaporate their sweat and cool them down. And they race for hours above the treeline, where there is very little respite from the full heat of the sun.

Because the regular black and yellow kit of Team Visma | Lease a Bike resembles the yellow jersey that the GC leader in the Tour de France wears, the UCI and ASO indicated that there would have to be an alternative design for the jersey of Team Visma | Lease a Bike. As it quickly became clear that black would be the predominant colour in the kit, AGU product developers have looked closely at how the clothing would hold up in the heat.  The color black absorbs a lot of sunlight that could overheat riders.

To be able to perform at the top of our game, even on the hottest days, our product developers created a jersey and bibshorts with exceptional cooling properties.

The team’s lightest-weight jersey weighs 25% less than their regular aero shirt and makes use of HeiQ’s Smart Temp technology. Activated by body heat, this fabric remains up to 2.5°C cooler than other performance fabrics.

In the black Aero Premium bibshort which the teamriders use, Coldblack technology is applied. While dark colours usually absorb more heat from the sun, Coldblack technology reduces such heat build up to ensure that your skin remains cool. It also offers exceptional UV protection.

The Black 320 chamois is extremely breathable and features a layer of special Coolcube fabric, which wicks away sweat to prevent irritation.

With the Eindhoven University of Technology, we tested the influence of the black jersey on body temperature by reproducing the heat with special heat lamps and measuring its effect on the body with sensors under the shirt. The test results show that there is no significant difference in temperature rise with the black jersey. Together, these techniques contribute to delivering top performances.

All Team Visma | Lease a Bike clothing is tailor-made for each individual rider. The same goes for the time-trial suits. With these suits AGU has taken another step when it comes to optimizing the clothing versus the rider's posture and position on the bike. AGU was recently present at a Team Visma | Lease a Bike training camp in Tignes to try on all clothing with the riders and to make last minute changes where necessary.

Tip 1: Wear cool clothes!
We have already mentioned it, but we can't start a list without emphasizing the importance of clothing that ventilates well, whicks away perspiration and helps keep your body cool. Simply essential when riding in the heat. 

Tip 2: Drink, drink, drink
Sweating is your body’s natural way of cooling itself. Before you overheat, your body releases moisture through your pores, which then evaporates to cool you down. On a hot day, you need to drink a lot to replace that lost fluid. During a grand tour stage, Team Visma | Lease a Bike’s riders can lose more than three litres of fluid through sweat. They will consume two or more bidons per hour to avoid becoming dehydrated. Even if you are not racing up alps, you should make sure to drink before you get thirsty on your rides and keep your bottles filled. There is nothing worse than getting stuck on a hot day without water. Water is fine as a starting point, but it is even better to mix isotonic drink mix in powder form. With this you also replenish carboyhdrates, vitamins and minerals that you lose during sweating.

Tip 3: Wear sunglasses
Safe cycling starts with a good view of the road. Sunglasses are an absolute must on days with bright sun to have clear and constrast rich view on the road in front of you and the landsape you are riding through. Spend a day outside in the summer sun without eye protection and you will probably end up with a splitting headache. Our Verve HDII sunglasses were developed for Team Visma | Lease a Bike. Featuring an innovative interchangeable frame and second-generation, anti-fog, hydrophobic lenses that transform your vision into high-definition, they will give you an ultra-modern look.

Tip 4: Apply sunscreen
Cycling tan lines are one thing, but walking around like a lobster after your ride is quite something else. On the one hand it sounds almost unnecessary, on the other hand people often seem to overlook this simple measure: if you cycle for hours in the sun, make sure you apply sunscreen copiously. Not only will you protect your skin in the short and long term against the sun, but a good sunscreen also ensures that your body remains a whole 10% cooler than without sunscreen.

Tip 5: Eat well and enough
Not too long ago, it was recommended to take salty snacks or salt tablets. Nowadays, however, we ingest enough salt in a day to replenish the salt we lose from sweating. In sports drinks and sports- or energy bars there are also sufficient extra salts & minerals to mitigate a possible shortage by excessively sweating and avoid cramps in your legs. If you eat one energy bar per hour you will stay fit longer and you be able to ride further.