Author: Admin

“Muro di Sormano”

This weekend the cycling season closes. Il Lombardia will be dedicated to the recently died patron, Felice Gimondi. The winner of the “falling leaves classic” will be honoured with a special jersey to celebrate Gimondi. Because he won the race twice, in 1966 and in 1973. But before  the winner can put on his price, he must of course first conquer the Muro di Sormano. And we treat you with a big discount to honor this climb!

Improve yourself, to an ever higher level so that you get the best out of yourself. That is one of the characteristics of cycling that make it attractive. But there are so many more aspects to cycling that make the sport great. The concept of ‘cycling land art’ for example. In the last Tour of Britain we saw this creative expression for the love of cycling expand to the next level!

We saw Colombia’s German Dario Gomez breaking down in tears during the junior race at the World Championships after being left stranded by the roadside. Heartbreaking to see the 18-year-old holding his wheel up in the air and nobody stopped. Cycling is still extremely hard after 100 years…

Yes, we ride all weather, but with the darkness entering early, we finally have time to spend reading in stead of cycling. But then a book about cycling! We recommend Full Gas by Peter Cossins.

In this easy to read book the focus is moving away from the winners. Instead, it observes the peloton of 180 riders, operating in a seemingly chaotic working environment which can be best described as like being inside a washing machine. Enjoy reading and don’t forget your  coffee, it works as a fabric softener!

Gigi Hadid

Wearing your Lycra in a different way…
She wears a Tommy Hilfiger swimsuit with a denim bomber jacket..
Interesting!

From 22 to 29 September the battle for the Rainbow jersey have been held in Harrogate, England. So now we know how will wear the white sweater with the blue, red, black, yellow and green horizontal stripes the coming season.  Nowadays many riders choose to wear matching trousers for aesthetic reasons, but we wonder if this really improves the looks of the rider…? In 1927 Alfred Binda already knew how to bring style:
mix and match, less is more!

Embrace his distinguished style and choose from a hat, scarf, sweater or matching socks.. 

Our Merino scarf and beanie

The Le Patron scarf and beanie are made in Italy from a soft merino wool blend. They are finished with the Le Patron logo and striped Yarn dyed stripes in world championships colours. This is a key accessory for anyone who loves the outdoors.

Our soft brushed sweater

The World Champ Sweater with thumbholes.  It offers style, comfort and quality. We’ve soft-brushed the inside for extra isolation. This sweater is your perfect buddy for all sportive and casual moments.

Our World Champ socks

3-pack high-quality socks in the colours of the world championships.
You will recognize them immediately. Wear them for an element of surprise to your suit or casual outfit.

The rainbow is a widely used symbol of prosperity and wealth. Remember the song? “Over the rainbow” is about a girl who wants to escape her world, to a beautiful place that would lie beyond the rainbow. The song was adopted in Europe during the Second World War as a symbol of hope. But the appearance of the rainbow is fleeting, and has disappeared before you know it. As the first winner after the Second World War also experienced. His name? Hans Knecht.. He is almost forgotten but the next time you hear the tunes of the song, you’ll remember this Swiss world champ!

Three people, eight World champion titles

Eddy Merckx
won in 1967, 1971 and 1974.

Alain Prost
became world champion four times in Formula 1:
in 1985, 1986, 1989 and 1993.

Le Blaireau, aka the badger, Bernard Hinault
won this title once, in 1980.

The rainbow is elusive and temporary but Philippe Gilbert has found a way to hold it! In 2012 he won the rainbow jersey in Valkenburg. He had a tattoo put on his ankle to keep the colours close..The picture is made by Dutch photographer Wouter Roosenboom. His book “SCHERP” is pure love for cycling in the most beautiful form. The photo series are supplemented with catchy texts by writers with a cycling heart. A must read!

The Vuelta a España already started  last Saturday  at the Costa Blanca.
Time for us to look back on the first edition in 1935.
There were 14 stages, and 300 pesetas to be won at each stage for the first hero to cross the finish line.

300 pesetas? Well, that is € 1.80 … just enough for one Cortado..

50 riders started the adventure of which 29 reached the finish. This year 176 riders are participating, but how many will arrive in Madrid…?

The Saint Bernard Pass

A mountain pass and a dog breed …
yes, we climbed various cols this summer.
The Saint Bernard Pass in Switzerland for example.
A nice long gradual climb in a beautiful environment.
On the way to the top, that one question just kept on going: which rider kept such a dog on a leash? The answer is Alberto Contador. He was kept company by a Saint Bernard dog after winning the 15th stage of the Tour de France  in 2009..

A bag full of pesetas, eternal fame for a day or a Saint Bernard dog…
What is the profit of a stage victory? In 1961 Jacques Anquetil won two stages in the TDF and earned €300 per stage. In 1987 Laurent Fignon won € 2700 with his victory on La  Plagne. And Julian Alaphilippe? He won two stages and wore the yellow jersey for fourteen days. This is € 11000,- per victory and € 500,- for every day in the yellow jersey.  Alaphillipe also won the prize for the most attacking rider and earned the most with that one: €20.000.  But an indelible hero status in the collective memory of the French nation is of course priceless!

You could not have missed it:  cycling legend Felice Gimonde passed away. The first rider who won all three major tours and thereby declared himself a saint.  This canonization was established by Pope Paul VI, on May 16th 1974, when the Giro d’Italia left the Vatican City.

But a carbon frame has so many advantages;
No more ugly welds and a sublime stiffness to increase your speed.

For all those who still have doubts
Let us forget how fragile they are.

Gordon Matthew a.k.a. Sting 

100 years of Yellow Jersey!

The yellow jersey changes ownership several times during the Tour.
The record is eight different riders.

Two riders never handed their yellow jersey off from day one:
Romain Maes in 1935 and Jacques Anquetil in 1961.

Sponsors of cycling teams …
interesting combinations and exciting partnerships!

Anno 2019:

• A Dutch supermarket and a Norwegian IT company (Jumbo-Visma)
• A French bank and a company providing business services (Arkéa-Samsic)
• A Polish shoe and bag manufacturer (CCC)

And 50 years ago?

• A chocolate producer from the UK and a Belgian moped-bicycle brand (Mars Flandria)
• A Dutch cigar brand and bicycles from the polder (Willem II Gazelle)

Cossins will take the reader on a journey to the origins of the jersey and its early winners. He’ll explore the effect of wearing yellow as a motivator and occasionally as a curse. Beautifully produced with original photography, The Yellow Jersey is an exquisite tribute to the greatest trophy in sport.

“It was eleven more than necessary.”

Jacques Anquetil

After winning a race by twelve seconds.

The “Miroir des sports” is a French weekly magazine devoted to sports.
Created in 1920 and well-read by riders and cycling enthusiasts.
The coverage of the tour is always an intensive job,
who actually works the hardest?

Stage 13 on July 19 we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Yellow Jersey
with an individual time trial over a distance of 27 km.

When was the first time trial held in the Tour?
In 1934 between La Roche-sur-Yon and Nantes. It was a 90 kilometer drive,
won by Antonin Magne.

Friday 28 and Saturday 29 June at Eroica Limburg,
Dersaborgpark in Valkenburg!

This year the Eroica Limburg festival is entirely devoted
to the World Cycling Championships.
It’s a tour on the 1978 world championship trail.

In addition to cycling, there is also music, food, drinks and Le Patron!

We’re looking forward to seeing you!

Only two more weeks…
We break our head about it: tour lists and tour-predictions.
Who will outshine in the upcoming Tour …? Because of the mysterious powers in cycling it’s a bit of gambling. Like in 1948, when Ferdi Kübler was tipped by all bookmakers as a certain time trial winner, but the completely unknown René Berton won gloriously.

That’s why we take Reinardt Janse van Reinsburg
in consideration for this year!

In 2016 Chris Froome risked his life while descending the Peyresourde by sitting on his frame. But now a firm gust of wind has struck him down.
The life of a cyclist is fragile. You treat your body with the greatest care to get the best out of yourself, but at the same time you expose it to great risks. Be careful out there!

Will you be riding a cyclosportive soon? In the middle of summer
this will be 10-hour sweating in the burning sun… Respect!
But don’t forget your sun-block, You will be treated with a bicycle tan..

One of the most important ways of protection is a helmet. Nowadays distinguished by characteristics as “aero lid” eye-popping colours, tube shaped tail design and internal channeling. It all started by Jean Robic, Tour winner of 1947. He always wore his home-made crash helmet because he was afraid of sustaining head injury. This earned him the nickname tête de cuir (leather head).

“Het jaar van Eddie Merckx”

Fifty years ago..
We go back to 1969. A cyclist has never dominated a cycling season as Eddy Merckx did in that year. Unforgettable! Read all about it in the new book “1969 – Het jaar van Eddy Merckx” written by Johny Vansevenant. Don’t forget to put on your Molteni socks while reading it;)

Throwing with water bottles has recently been restricted. The UCI imposes fines ranging between € 176 and no less than € 440. Because World Tour pros have an exemplary role. We agree! And bring in some other ideas…

And again a rider collided with a raging spectator.
Miguel Ángel López reacted with a smack and the discussion
about pushy public has erupted.
‘Scream and shout and let it all out’ would Gino Bartali say..

The Dauphiné starts at Sunday, June 9! Held since 1947 and an important preparation for the Tour de France. No Mont Ventoux this year. Too bad, this regular recurring obstacle is on of our favourite climbs.. For 41 years Charly Gaul was the fastest climber on the Ventoux in 1hr 2min 9sec. Check out the segment on Strava how fast this still is!

16 JUNE 2019

Sorry dads in Italy and Spain.. Festa del Papà and Día del Padre has already been in March. But in many countries Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June! And of course we have the perfect gift for dad.. Socks related to his favourite activity!

Order them online
or visit one of the bike shops where the socks are also available!

Il punto più alto del Giro
The highest point

stage 16 • 28 May 2019

This olive green T-shirt in 100% cotton,
is a tribute to Fausto Coppi, il campionissimo.
The subtle shades depict Coppi conquering the highest point in the Giro.

This years Cima Coppi is the Gavia.

With 2618 meters the highest top of the Giro and already widely discussed because of a thick pack of snow. This makes the Cima Coppi this year either 4 meters higher or 800 meters lower. How? There is an emergency plan ready: ignore the Gavia and climb the snow-covered Mortirolo, a sloppy 800 meters below, not once but twice that day.
Whatever it will be, it reminds us of ancient times!

Ferrara

A sequel to “Ventoux”: the recognizable story about friendship with cycling as a common thread. Writer Bert Wagendorp takes us along in their lives, now five years later. The story is set in the Italian city of Ferrara, known for its cycling culture. just like in Lucca, you can ride on the ramparts. We expect that after reading the book, you will definitely go on a journey of discovery to this city!

Ferrara… where did you hear that before? Well, in 2018 the 13th Giro-stage started here.. But there is more…Yep, doctor dopante Michele Ferrari was born in 1953 in….Ferrara! He was best known for clients such as Lance Armstrong and Aleksandr Vinokurov. He is currently serving a prison sentence for providing EPO to a biathlete. Dr. Ferrari is infamous for comparing EPO to orange juice in 1994 when he worked with the Gewiss team that dominated racing at the time. “EPO is not dangerous, it’s the abuse that is. It’s also dangerous to drink 10 litres of orange juice,” he said.

We’re wondered by the news that ASO pulls Flèche and Liège out of Women’s WorldTour and is refusing to provide TV coverage. Would 95 year old Eileen Sheridan believe this is happening more than half a century ago?

This respectable English cyclist broke all the records of the Women’s Road Records Association during the late 1940s and 1950s.
Indeed, assisted by a man.

Il Pirata

Il Pirata at the time when he still was boyish, shy Marco!

GIRO d’ITALIA

Gli ultimi saranno I primi
The last shall be first
11 May – 2 June

One of Hollands biggest newspapers; Algemeen Dagblad is organising this great Giro game. For all of our Dutch members of the peloton who like to experience the Giro even more intense: put your high-tech team together and play against the biggest cycling connoisseurs.

Beleef de Giro nog intenser: stel jouw topploeg samen en neem het op tegen de grootste wielerkenners van Nederland. Speel mee en maak kans op schitterende wielerprijzen. Waaronder een unieke Le Patron casual kledingset en nog veel meer mooie prijzen.

A tour through Italy

From the north-western part to deep in the southern tip. And back again. 3162 kilometers. In 8 days. Avarage 400 kilometers per day. You wouldn’t even start with a car. And certainly not on a bike… Yet in 1914, 8 riders completed this challenge. Crazy!

In 1934 Learco Guerra won the Maglia Rosa. After finishing his career,
he became an appreciated bike manufacturer and build his own bikes.
On his bikes legendary champions cycled to victory.
But most noteworthy is the victory of the Giro
in 1956 en 1959 by Charly Gaul.
On a steel Learco Guerra!

100 years Fausto Coppi aka Il Campionissimo
1909 – 2019 

A love-hate relationship: cars around the peloton..
At least, let them be stylish,
so we can admire old-fashion Italian brands like Alfa Romeo or Fiat.
Do you remember?

Classico Boretti

Where? Papendal, Arnhem in Holland
When? 11 and 12 May

We will be present at the Dutch cycling tour of the year with an Italian twist.
The finish is at the “framed Festival” site. Our stand will be filled with the stylish Le Patron collection! Come and get your item for a special festival price.

De Ronde
7th of April 2019

Sunday is Flanders’ most beautiful!
Maybe Michael Matthews will win this year while his parents are sleeping on the other side of the world. That would not be the first time that the winner’s parents are dreaming unsuspectingly …
Belgian rider Briek Schotte won twice, in 1942 and 1948.

After one of his winnings, Schotte had to climb through the window of his parents’ farm in the evening to enter. His parents were already asleep and had no idea that their son was riding the race that day.

Echelon

At Le Patron we add some style in the peloton. But a peloton can have all kinds of forms. Because of the wind direction the peloton can transform into a echelon.

The echelon is the hardest, most dangerous, and most enjoyable paceline to ride. You move diagonally forward and back, with riders situated tightly off your handlebar and hip, the riders directly in front of you moving in a different direction at a different speed. This requires bike handling and fearlessness.  With a group of riders who know how to ride in a crosswind properly, this can be the only way to make it to the red rag.

Geraint Thomas and Chris Froome, Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault, Lance Armstrong and Alberto Contador..

The rivalry between two leaders in a team is a well-known racing phenomenon. Just like  Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna in the 1988 and 1989 Formula 1 seasons. Both at team McLaren and both clearly a class better than the rest. Too bad they can’t continue the battle on the bike..

“the nosebag”

The musette: an iconic symbol of cycling. Introduced in the 1950s by team managers with outstretched arms and filled with fruit, cakes and drinks. Many innovations have been reviewed in cycling but the square cotton bag with thin straps is still standing strong!  It has a vitally important function to provide riders with new energy stocks. In 2019 still the embodiment of cycling culture: canvas bag which took its name from the nose-bag more commonly seen around the necks of farm horses.

Cycling isn’t a game, it’s a sport.
Tough, hard and unpitying, and it requires great sacrifices.
One plays football, or tennis, or hockey.
One doesn’t play at cycling”

Jean de Gribaldy
(cyclist and team leader, here with Sean Kelly at KAS)

Cycling world Düsseldorf

23rd & 24th of March 2019

European new show for finest bike culture. Meet us at the spectacular location “the Areal Böhler” in Düsseldorf in an ambience that belongs to Europe’s finest of their kind.

We’re at K-D3

If there was one item of clothing we were all convinced would never come back into fashion, it was cycling shorts. In the eighties it was akward to see ladies wearing it as fashion item. But the Biker Shorts trend is here to stay for 2019. So be warned when you can’t find your bib shorts, maybe your girlfriend has run off. In stead of this, we rather see the hot pants return as mainstream fashion!

“The course is in our genes”

The Flemish Cycling Week will start on Friday 29 March. Four races within the ten-day timeframe. Grew up along the trail from an early age. Raised to encourage the riders. It starts with the E3, then Sunday March 31 Gent Wevelgem, followed by Dwars door Vlaanderen and the grande finale with the Ronde Vlaanderen on April 7.

Sky cycling team will continue as Team INEOS from 1 May.
Taking over cycling teams has been part of cycling for many years!
From the beginning of the 20th century to 1986, Peugeot was the (main) sponsor of a cycling team. The cycling team was just as successful as Sky. In 1994, GAN took the place of main sponsor, followed by Crédit Agricole. In 2008, Credit Agricole stopped sponsoring and the end of the team was a fact, after more than 100 years!

The cycling chef

A must-have recipe book designed for cyclists of all levels, written by Alan Murchison – a Michelin-starred chef and champion athlete who now cooks for British Cycling’s elite athletes.

His easy-to-make and nutritionally balanced meals will help cyclists reach their cycling performance goals –
this is flavoursome food to make you go faster!