The Pro’s Bike Helmets at Tour de France 2021
It was just not that long ago that helmets were made mandatory in the Tour de France. That year was 2003 where a fatal crash of Andrei Kivilev at the second stage in Paris-Nice prompted the UCI to make helmets mandatory from the next race onwards.
These days all the equipment used by the pros comes under great scrutiny, especially at the Tour de France. Among others is the bike helmets they wear.
The helmet technologies have improved significantly over the years and we now have helmets designed for specific purposes with all the latest safety technologies. For example,
- Regular vs aero helmets. On hilly stages, riders will opt for regular helmets that lighter, have more air vents for better breathability. For flat and sprint stages, many will prefer helmets optimized for aerodynamics that have minimal air vents.
- Safety technologies such as MIPS (Multi-directional Impact Protection System), SPIN (Shearing Pad Inside), Wavecel, and Koroyd can be found in the majority of the helmets the riders wear.
- Color and design. Most teams will have a team color/design for their helmets to match with their kits and bikes. A yellow helmet is worn by every rider of the team that is leading the Team’s Classification (the team that has the lowest cumulative time by adding the times of the three best riders of each team per stage).
For 2022, there 16 helmet brands at the Tour de France.
There are three teams each wearing Ekoi and Specialized, helmets followed by two teams each for Abus and HJC helmets. The most notable brand missing out is Bell.
Some of the helmets also make it into our favorite helmet picks list. Let’s take a look at all the helmets used by each team.
Abus
German-based Abus is a long-time, reputable brand when it comes to bike locks. A newcomer in the pro peloton, starting with Movistar in 2018, Abus has one of the nicest looking helmets in this year’s Tour de France.
See Mathieu van der Poel will be wearing the Abus Gamechanger on the cobblestone stage 5.
- Helmets Worn : Abus Aventor Quin (Regular), Abus Gamechanger (Aerodynamic), Abus Gamechanger TT
- Worn by : Alpecin-Fenix, Movistar Team
- Available at : Competitive Cyclist, Amazon, Wiggle
Bolle
France-based Bolle has been around since 1888 and today manufactures helmets, goggles, and sunglasses for cycling and skiing. They’ve been a mainstay in the pro peloton in recent years with Orica GreenEdge wearing their sunglasses in the past.
- Helmets Worn : Bolle Furo MIPS (Regular), EXO MIPS (Aerodynamic),
- Worn by : B&B Hotels p/b KTM
Bontrager
Bontrager is the sister brand of bike manufacturer, Trek. Bontrager produces everything from helmets to saddles, wheelsets, and bike lights. So, it’s no surprise that Trek-sponsored teams will be using Bontrager equipment such as helmets and wheels (similar to Specialized sponsored teams).
- Helmets Worn : Bontrager Velocis MIPS (Regular), Bontrager XXX WaveCel (Aerodynamic)
- Worn by : Trek Segafredo
- Available at : Trek Bikes
Ekoi
Based out of France, Ekoi which was founded in 2001 has grown to be a reputable brand in the cycling clothing market especially with helmets and sunglasses. Their direct-to-consumer model means that Ekoi products are 30% to 40% cheaper than its competitors.
Expect to see Caleb Ewan sprinting to his next Grand Tour win at the Tour de France in the Ekoi AR14.
- Helmets Worn : Ekoi Legende (Regular), Ekoi AR14 (Aerodynamic), Ekoi Chrono (TT)
- Worn by : Cofidis, Lotto-Soudal, Team Arkea-Samsic
- Available at : Ekoi
Force
A relatively unknown outside of the mainstream cycling brands, Czech-based Force manufactures a wide range of cycling accessories, clothing, components, and tools. Their products are mainly found in Europe and Central Asia through their growing network of dealers.
- Helmets Worn : Force Lynx (Regular), Force Neo Orca (Aerodynamic),
- Worn by : Intermarché Wanty Gobert Materiaux
Giro
With a long presence in the pro peloton dating back to pre-2000, Giro helmets are used by three teams in this year’s Tour de France. Besides helmets, Giro is an established brand when it comes to cycling shoes.
Riders will have three helmet choices; Giro Aether Spherical (regular), Giro Vanquish (aerodynamic), and Giro Aerohead (TT) helmets to choose from.
Trek-Segafredo riders will be wearing the Giro Aerohead TT helmet for time trials as their helmet provider, Bontrager doesn’t produce a TT helmet.
- Helmets Worn : Giro Aether Spherical (Regular), Giro Vanquish MIPS,(Aerodynamic), Giro Aerohead MIPS (TT)
- Worn by : Groupama-FDJ
- Available at : Competitive Cyclist, Amazon, Wiggle
HJC
Another relative newcomer into the pro peloton, HJC is an established brand among Moto GP riders with a history dating back to 1971. HJC’s helmets feature their patented technologies such as COOLPATH for efficient airflow and cooling and SELFFIT for automatic self-adjustment.
Expect to see Chris Froome riding his tenth Tour de France wearing the HJC Ibex 2.0 in the high mountains.
- Helmets Worn : HJC Ibex 2.0 (Regular), HJC Furion 2.0 (Aerodynamic), HJC Adwatt 1.5 (TT)
- Worn by : AG2R Citreon Team, Israel Premier Tech
- Available at : Wiggle
Kask
Kask is worn exclusively by Ineos Grenadiers (Team Sky) since its inception in 2010 and has won the most Grand Tours in the last decade. Undoubtedly, Kask is the most well-known helmet brand within the cycling industry.
The Kask Protone has been a mainstay in their helmet lineup for many years and hasn’t been updated for more than 5 years. Expect to see the Ineos Grenadiers train riding at the front all day long sporting the latest Kask Protone.
- Helmets Worn : Kask Protone, Kask (Regular), Kask Valegro (Lightweight), Kask Utopia (Aerodynamic), Kask Bambino (TT)
- Worn by : Ineos Grenadiers
- Available at : Competitive Cyclist, Amazon, Wiggle
Lazer
Belgian helmet manufacturer Lazer is another old-timer in the pro peloton with almost a century of history. They started by designing leather caps for tough men riding over cobblestone in Belgium before evolving into the technically advanced helmets we see today.
Get ready to see Primoz Roglic challenge for the overall win, supported by his trusted lieutenants such as Sepp Kuss and Wout van Aert wearing the Lazer Genesis.
- Helmets Worn : Lazer Genesis (Lightweight), Lazer Bullet 2.0 (Aerodynamic), Lazer Volante (TT)
- Worn by : Team Jumbo Visma
- Available at : Competitive Cyclist, Amazon
Limar
Based out of Bergamo in Italy, Limar manufactures a range of helmets for all cycling disciplines from road to gravel, mountain biking, gravel, and kids. The riders will use Limar’s top-of-the-line helmets at the Tour de France this year.
- Helmets Worn : Limar Air Pro (Regular), Limar Air Speed (Aerodynamic), Limar Air King (TT)
- Worn by : Astana-Qazaqstan
- Available at : Competitive Cyclist, Amazon
MET
One of the fastest-growing helmet brands, MET is based in the Valtellina valley in the Italian Alps. They’re just 100km away from the Stelvio and 20km from Lake Como.
Worn by Tadej Podgacer to his maiden Tour de France win in 2020, MET will continue with the UAE Team Emirates for this year. Expect to see Tadej Podgacer wearing the MET Trenda 3K Carbon helmet on the hilly stages.
- Helmets Worn : MET Trenda 3K Carbon (Regular), MET Manta MIPS (Aerodynamic), MET Codatronca (TT)
- Worn by : UAE Team Emirates
- Available at : Wiggle
POC
Swedish-based, POC designed one of the most good-looking bike helmets in the pro peloton today. They’re also the inventor of SPIN (Shearing Pad Inside) safety technology which is used in their helmets. You’ll spot a light blue liner inside all POC helmets today.
With the pink POC Ventral SPIN Air helmets, you definitely can’t miss them on TV.
- Helmets Worn : POC Ventral SPIN Air (Regular), POC Ventral SPIN (Aerodynamic), POC Cerebel (TT)
- Worn by : EF Education Nippo
- Available at : Competitive Cyclist, Amazon, Wiggle
Rudy Project
Started in 1985 in Italy, Rudy Project is a leading brand in outdoor accessories. They make helmets and sunglasses for various sports such as cycling, running, beach, winter, and watersports.
- Helmets Worn : Rudy Project Spectrum (Regular), Rudy Project Volantis (Aerodynamic), Rudy Project The Wing (TT)
- Worn by : Bahrain Victorious
Scott
Scott helmets are worn by Scott-sponsored teams, similar to Trek and Specialized teams. Known for its bikes, Scott also manufactures bike components such as wheels, handlebars, and saddles under its sister brand Syncros.
- Helmets Worn : Scott Centric Plus MIPS (Regular), Scott Cadence Plus (Aerodynamic)
- Worn by : Team DSM
- Available at : Competitive Cyclist, Amazon
Specialized
Specialized helmets are worn exclusively by Specialized sponsored teams in recent years. From our observation, if the team is riding a Specialized bike, they will be using Specialized’s other equipment such as wheels (Roval), tires, helmets, and shoes.
Get ready to see fireworks animated by current Road World Champion Julian Alaphilippe in the S-Works Prevail 2 and 3X champion Peter Sagan in the S-Works Evade.
- Helmets Worn : S-Works Prevail 2 (Regular), S-Works Evade (Aerodynamic), S-Works TT
- Worn by : BORA Hansgrohe, QuickStep Alpha Vinyl Team, Total Energies
- Available at : Competitive Cyclist, Jenson USA
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