Riders at the Pune Grand Tour have a face-care routine though it’s not powdering of their noses. Right before they step out of their tents, riders get busy with slathering or spraying sunscreen on their arms. And looking into their mobile phone mirrors to locate the exact spot on the nose bridge to tape on a ‘nasal strip’.
Nasal strips have leapt on to other sports, but their predominance amongst road cyclists is pretty high. Enzo Fuentes of Pro Cycling Team says getting onto a professional cycling set-up solved two of his issues: breathing correctly when cycling, and disturbed sleep. His teammates from Andorra joke that he sought out the strips because they informed him he snored. But the rider says it’s essentially to clear nasal pathways and regulate breathing.
“I started using them two years ago after joining the Pro Cycling team. It’s also to ensure I’m breathing right when I sleep,” he says.
A bunch of Spanish, French, Dutch and Belgian teams here travel with a box of nasal strips, which are stuck on the mid-bridge of the nose. They are known to ease nasal muscles and ease breathing.
Malaysian teams too pass around the stick-ons that look like blackhead removal strips, and are an integral part of a cyclists’ gear – as important as helmets or sunglasses.
A bunch of Spanish, French, Dutch and Belgian teams here travel with a box of nasal strips, which are stuck on the mid-bridge of the nose. They are known to ease nasal muscles and ease breathing. (Express Photos by Pavan Khengre)
While the black strips look like warpaint, top teams like Burgos have moved onto the translucent or skin-coloured strips that are barely visible.
A tiny strip, a physio explains, has springy edges that pull the upper curves of the nostrils wide apart gently, and help reduce resistance, easing airflow. Placing the strips accurately is crucial, and part of the cycling finery.
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The safety pin superstition
Riders on the Pro Tour for years swear by the meditative practice of attaching the bibs to their back jersey pockets meticulously with safety pins. “Early in my racing career, I once had the paper bibs flapping away like crazy at the start, and I looked really ridiculous,” recalls Team Roojai’s Australian rider Dylan Hopkins. “It affects riding of course in winds, but I decided I’d never look stupid again. From then onwards, I make it a point to sit calmly each race morning and pin the bibs properly. It’s almost a superstition that shabby bibs will lead to a bad race,” he says.
“Three pins to secure the top. Three on the side. All sides. And life feels alright,” he says dramatically.
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