Dressing for the Spring Classics
With Giacomo Nizzolo

While the mechanics take care of the bikes, the soigneurs and team cook take care of the food, clothing choices are highly personal for every rider. Giacomo Nizzolo answers the question most asked on the team bus before every race: what to wear?

“Classics season means I always pack the biggest suitcase ever,” he smiles after Dwars door Vlaanderen, one of the many races in Belgium in March and April.

“If I stand in front of my closet at home I almost take every piece of clothing I have. This is the time of the year it can be really cold in the morning but also during the day, it can be raining and in the past we even had snow but it can also be very warm. I mean warm temperatures but also when the racing gets hot, so to say. I bring race clothes but also clothes for the recon we do of every race. In the end it’s quite a heavy suitcase, comparable to three weeks of Grand Tour racing.”

Giacomo Nizzolo is one of the Q36.5 Pro Cycling Team riders doing most of the cobbled classics block which includes iconic races like E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders and Paris-Roubaix. It means he left home on 27 March and returns on 16 April. In those three weeks he needs to be prepared for all scenarios.

“It’s quite a long time away from home so we also do a lot of training inbetween the races,” Giacomo explains. “You dress differently for training because it’s not the same intensity as races. You also need to think less of aerodynamics and more about being warm and protected. I always wear the long bib tights [Gregarius Hybrid bib tights]. Q36.5 has the best chamois I ever had in all the models. It’s also in this one. Then I wear the long-sleeved jersey [Gregarius Pro Long Sleeve Jersey] with the warmer base layer [Base Layer 3] underneath. Sometimes also a vest [Air Shell Vest or Gregarius Hybrid Vest], or a rainjacket [Rain Shell Jacket] when it’s damp.”

Races are a different situation. The question asked on the team bus before every race doesn’t have the same answer for each rider. It depends on your role in the race.

“Weather is important in what you decide to wear in a race like Tour of Flanders. That’s the first thing you check. I always try to be flexible and wear things I can take off easily like the vest and arm warmers,” he explains.

“If your job is to be in the breakaway it’s different because you need to be ready to go. In my case that is just the skinsuit and usually the light base layer [Base Layer 0]. You don’t have time to take things off. The same goes when we expect the race to explode early on which happens more and more these days. That is always a bit of a guess of course but less is always better, I think. When the race explodes you warm up fast anyways”

Q36.5 is a brand that has pioneered the research of thermoregulation, to keep the body at an optimal core temperature of 36.5 degrees. All riders on the team have CORE sensors to measure this metric and base layers are an essential element for correct regulation of body temperature. Giacomo often wears them in racing and always in training.

“I often wear the lightest base layer [Base Layer 0] we have in the races. It helps you control the temperature because it makes sure you dry as fast as possible when you sweat. This one is super light so the best option in races where weight and aerodynamics play an important role. For training I use a warmer one [Base Layer 3] when the temperatures are low and this light, mesh one when it’s finally summer.”

Giacomo has many years of experience because he turned pro in 2011. He has won Italian championships, a Giro d’Italia stage, European championships and among others the French off-road classic Tro Bro Léon. He has raced in wintery circumstances, pouring rain and very hot summer days. With 15 years of experience the younger riders often turn to him for advice.

“The Tour of Flanders started early in the morning this year so it was still pretty cold. My advice to the young is guys is to always take a vest because they are so light but work very well. Also start with arm warmers unless you are the guy in the break,” he adds with a smile. “Never put on an extra jersey when you go in the breakaway. Be ready and be aero. In the break you are warm in no time at all. I wasn’t even in the break on Sunday but took the vest and arm warmers off before we even hit the first cobbles”

In all those years Giacomo made clothing mistakes too. “I sometimes put too many clothes on in the past, just being too conservative. Then you are sweating a lot and you lose time taking it off. I don’t think I was underdressed too often because I am usually only cold at the start. You warm up quick in a race.

I do always have extra rain gloves, those neoprene ones [Cats and Dogs PROTOTYPE gloves], in my rainbag because I do tend to get cold hands but for the rest I rely on Dottore bibs or our race suit, a good base layer, a vest and arm warmers [Woolf Arm Warmers] plus two rain jackets in the rainbag in the car. With that combo you can do most of the races and feel very comfortable.”

Gregarius Clima QLAB Jersey Blue

Color: Blue | Size: M

Made from a proprietary mesh knitted fabric, the Q36.5 Gregarius Clima QLAB Jersey for Men creates an almost imperceptible 3D structure across the torso to improve ventilation as well as moisture transfer. Lightweight and soft on the skin, the honeycomb material used for the back panels encourages a push-pull effect to prevent moisture build-up while moving the sweat to the outer layer of the fabric where it can evaporate quickly. The raglan sleeve design uses the same ribbed aerodynamic fabric as our Gregarius Pro Jersey. The overall feeling of lightness is further enhanced by the mesh rear pockets, exclusive to this model. The design references our body heat map sensors and heat zone mapping that we conduct in our QLAB to research how to keep the rider’s optimum body temperature in all riding conditions.

€130.00

Dottore Pro Bib Shorts Black

Color: Black | Size: M

The Q36.5 Dottore Pro Bib Shorts for Men are the world’s leading high performance woven bib shorts, using technologies pioneered by Q36.5 and continuously refined over the last ten years. From the very first pedal stroke, riders will appreciate a feeling of superior muscular support, comfort, and on-the-bike stability. This unique feeling is achieved through the use of four different proprietary woven fabrics as well as our patented Q LAB Air Chamois, which provides total comfort and superior moisture management. The use of a high-density woven material with gradual compression along the leg panels in particular ensures a superior alignment of muscle fibers during the repetitive action of lengthening and contracting the legs, creating an important performance advantage over long distances. The Silver yarn found in the leg panels reduces the negative impact of naturally occurring electric charges produced by the body during exercise as well as boosting the blood flow and increases oxygen supply to cells.

€250.00

Base Layer 1 Sleeveless Navy Blue

Color: Navy Blue | Size: S-M

The Q36.5 Base Layer 1 represents our technologically extreme vision of the traditional seamless base layer that provides optimal moisture management thanks to our use of the cutting-edge Karl Mayer Seamless knitting machines. The seamless design uses multiple integrated yarn structures with varying densities to pull sweat away from the skin and move it to an outer layer where it can evaporate.

€60.00

Air Vest Navy Blue

Color: Navy Blue | Size: M

Offering exceptional wind protection, the Q36.5 Air Vest uses advanced, lightweight material to insulate while remaining super packable, meaning you won’t even notice it in your back pocket during warmer moments of the ride. Designed for 4-season effectiveness, the Air Vest is perfect for everything from cold, windy winter rides to summer rides high in the mountains. Its body mapped cut ensures it will sit close to the torso and not flap in the wind.

€110.00

Rain Shell Jacket Navy Blue

Color: Navy Blue | Size: M

Designed to protect from continuous rain on rides, the Q36.5 Rain Shell Jacket offers a body mapped fit with exceptional rain repellency to ensure total comfort and top performance on cold, wet rides. Not only is the material waterproof, all openings and seams have been constructed to keep water from penetrating or seeping in. Lightweight and easily packable, this is an ultra-breathable cycling rain jacket that prevents moisture build-up on the interior.

€320.00

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Dressing for the Spring Classics With Giacomo Nizzolo

Dressing for the Spring Classics
With Giacomo Nizzolo