by Dana-Susan Crews
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| Photo source: www.oldbike.eu/museum/1900s/cycle-racing/1890s-racing-scrapbook-usa/ |
Let's take a look back at the days before spandex and see what cyclists used to wear...
As bicycles became more accessible in the late 1800s, cycling quickly became a competitive sport. To avoid the heavy, sticky quality of cotton clothing, competitive cyclists often wore wool. Although it became soggy when wet, it dried faster than cotton.
In the 1940s Italian tailor Armando Castelli introduced silk jersey's to help riders go farther faster. In addition to the functional quality of these silk jersey's, ink stuck to them better, enabling businesses to advertise on cyclists' clothes.
After the second world war, chemists got involved and really began to change the world of cycling. They invented polyester, nylon and spandex which changed the way all athletic clothes were made. Later, DuPont invented Lycra and by the 1970s cyclists were wearing skin tight vibrant colors while they raced.
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| Riders in the Tour de France, early 1900s (note: smoking on the ride is also a thing of the past) |
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