The Pune Grand Tour riders have a facial care routine, although they don’t powder their noses. Just before leaving their tents, cyclists get to work slathering or spraying sunscreen on their arms. And look in your cell phone mirrors to locate the exact spot on the bridge of your nose to place a nasal strip.
Nose strips have spread to other sports, but their prevalence among road cyclists is quite high. Enzo Fuentes of the Pro Cycling Team says adopting a pro cycling setup solved two of his problems: breathing properly when cycling and sleep disturbances. His Andorran colleagues joke that he looked for the strips because they told him he snored. But the cyclist says his goal is essentially to clear the nasal passages and regulate breathing.
“I started using them two years ago, after joining the Pro Cycling team. It’s also to make sure I breathe well when I sleep,” he says.
A group of Spanish, French, Dutch and Belgian teams travel here with a box of nasal strips, which are stuck to the middle bridge of the nose. They are known to relax the nasal muscles and make breathing easier.
Malaysian teams also hand out stickers that look like blackhead removal strips and are an integral part of a cyclist’s kit, as important as helmets or sunglasses.
A group of Spanish, French, Dutch and Belgian teams travel here with a box of nasal strips, which are stuck to the middle bridge of the nose. (Express Photo)
While the black stripes look like war paint, top teams like Burgos have opted for translucent or nude stripes that are barely visible.
A small strip, a physiotherapist explains, has elastic edges that gently separate the upper curves of the nostrils and help reduce resistance, facilitating airflow. Placing the strips accurately is crucial and part of the joy of cycling.
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The superstition of the threadbare bib
Pro Tour riders rely on the meditative practice of meticulously pinning their bibs to their jersey’s back pockets with safety pins. “At the beginning of my racing career, one time the paper bibs were waving like crazy at the start and I looked really ridiculous,” recalls Australian Team Roojai driver Dylan Hopkins. “It affects riding, of course, in the wind, but I decided I would never look stupid again. From then on, I make it a point to sit calmly every race morning and hold my bibs tight. It’s almost a superstition that bad bibs will lead to a bad race,” he says.
“Three pins to secure the top. Three on the sides. On all sides. And life feels good,” he says dramatically.
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