Les Maîtres de la Casquette

The last masters of the Cycling cap slipped into the shadows at the close of the 20th century

It doesn’t take a genius to see what’s going on here. Rule #5, Rule #9, Rule #10; every rider in this frame Looks Fantastic (most other Rules). The riders are in short sleeves and shorts while the public apparently has scavenged materials from rubbish bins and the local grain elevator in a very visually unpleasant effort to keep warm. When I visualize the 90’s, this photo pretty much shows what I see. (Why was the weather so crap in France during Big Mig’s reign? Only redeeming quality of his wins.)

What this photo also shows is the highest concentration of Les MaÃ®tres de la Casquette, the masters of the Cycling cap, in recent recorded history. We discussed the art of wearing a Cycling Cap before, probably more often than necessary. Like all art, it begins with some founding principles, and then opens itself to the artist’s vision and expression. And like with art, there are The Masters.

In the art of wearing the revered casquette, we are guided by the Three Point System. From there, we are at liberty to express ourselves. In the days before helmets, the peloton was overflowing with masters of this studied art with an early style peak coinciding directly with the point of bushiest sideburns, but it has since all but died out. The last peak was in 1991, when Big Mig, Chiappucci, Bugno, Luc LeBlanc, and Richard Virenque were all at the height of their powers. Like the Jedi after the rise of the Sith, it is the responsibility of The Velominati to keep this art alive.

It also occurs to me in the state of high fever in which I write this, that the transcended Velominatus is always engaged in a Cycling-related activity which could possibly provide a release-clause for any accusation of a Rule #22 violation.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

Next On the Road Again: Keepers Tour 2015 »

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View Comments

Barracuda says:

Nov 19 2014 at 7:54 pm

@Mikael Liddy

You know the real questions though, where the fuck are the V-caps?

THIS !!!!!!!
Rob says:

Nov 19 2014 at 10:01 pm

Frank, why is it that after lumbering us with batman and tires "pour le une pour cent" you redeem yourself with this? Not only are you praising the skimpy little things but you now give the Buck, Gianni, Rob demographic the virtual Papal dispensation to wear the casquette Anytime, Anywhere!

I loved wearing one back in the day but I usually looked shit - I don't know why, same reason I don't dance well and had no timing when free fighting in karate is my guess... I am just not cool. On the other hand Buck and Gianni are the epitomes of bad ass cool when they use it to cover the bald spot.

The only little bone to pick is your pegging 1991 as a high water of fashionable wearing of the cap. By then the design had changed and the high square poofta style that Big Mig wore had almost erased the rounder smaller looking tighter fitting older caps of the 60-70's. Thank Merckx that I squeaked in at the end of that era because those are the caps that worn under a helmet look best and off the bike take the greatest of sartorial skill to pull off - but when achieved - SNAP!
Rob says:

Nov 19 2014 at 10:15 pm

@Barracuda

@Mikael Liddy

You know the real questions though, where the fuck are the V-caps?

THIS !!!!!!!

It's time to begin a V-Starter for V-caps. This would be a KickStarter to raise the initial lucre to make the minimum order. I imagine it's got to be a fairly large number of caps and therefore I purpose that we canvas the community and do the math so that at each level of donation you would receive more caps.

What, for instance a large donor does with say 200 caps is irrelevant, it is the means to an end and I am betting that In a hundred years they will sell as collectible.
brett says:

Nov 20 2014 at 1:08 am

Maybe now that the fixie-hipster is crawling back into the hole from whence they emerged, we can rightly reclaim the casquette as an off-the-bike accoutrement. Of course, as we are definitely not savages, it still must only be worn with cycling kit and not topping off your formal or smart casual attire.
brett says:

Nov 20 2014 at 1:10 am

And you're spot on Franky boy, the disparity between the style of the riders and spectators is a yawning chasm.
brett says:

Nov 20 2014 at 1:12 am

@Rob

@Barracuda

@Mikael Liddy

You know the real questions though, where the fuck are the V-caps?

THIS !!!!!!!

It's time to begin a V-Starter for V-caps. This would be a KickStarter to raise the initial lucre to make the minimum order. I imagine it's got to be a fairly large number of caps and therefore I purpose that we canvas the community and do the math so that at each level of donation you would receive more caps.

What, for instance a large donor does with say 200 caps is irrelevant, it is the means to an end and I am betting that In a hundred years they will sell as collectible.

This. It's been long talked about in the Boardroom, and it seems so simple to produce a V-cap, but it's not. Getting the right mix of quality, price and number has been a seemingly insurmountable task. But we're gonna get there... we must.
The Grande Fondue says:

Nov 20 2014 at 1:59 am

The Chiappucci vs Bugno vs Mig tour was when I first got into cycling in a big way. I was a Bugno fan because he looked so good on a bike. I still own an original Gatorade jersey.
markb says:

Nov 20 2014 at 2:16 am

It also occurs to me in the state of high fever in which I write this, that the transcended Velominatus is always engaged in a Cycling-related activity which could possibly provide a release-clause for any accusation of a Rule #22 violation

Sorry, but no. Are you also going to clomp around in your cycling shoes whilst loading the washing machine? Wear your jersey whilst un-blocking a drain? Tis a slippery slope, one only has to look at the gutter-snipes who wear the awful basball cap 24x7, or the dick-heads one meets on holiday weating a football shirt on the beach.
Markp says:

Nov 20 2014 at 2:36 am

Ignore Jaja
Markp says:

Nov 20 2014 at 2:38 am

Then again should the brim be up or down