The history of the productLA CASQUETTE

The story of cycling caps

« Casquette vélo », « casquette de cycliste » or « gâpette », there is a rather diverse french vocabulary to name caps for riders. For a long time, caps were an essential element of the rider’s equipment.

In the 70’s, sponsors used them as an advertising medium. Caps were available to the public during cycling events. They were merchandising items for promoting professional team sponsors. Those days were gone in the 90’s when caps were hidden by cycling helmets which became mandatory following a decision from UCI regarding amateur cycling. Only professional riders were allowed not to wear helmets. Caps became symbols for the true, tough riders!

In 2003, UCI moved further and made helmets mandatory for all riders (saving riders’ lives). The priority to safety as well as fighting unnecessary weight have eliminated caps from riders’ equipment. Nowadays, professional teams still use caps for promotional purposes (riders wear them on ceremonial podiums) and still sell them to fans.