How WorldTour pros help Bollé refine their performance sunglasses
Romain Bardet's AG2R La Mondial has been working with the French company since 2014
At this year’s Tour de France, polka jersey winner Romain Bardet wore the Bollé Lightshifter sunglasses. French WorldTour team AG2R La Mondial has been wearing the French sports company’s eyewear since 2014 helping to develop performance sunglasses that meet the rigours of bike racing at the highest level.
Companies that work with pro teams often leverage their relationship with the world’s top riders to refine their products to better meet their demands. After all, pro cyclists are perhaps the most rigorous product testers a company can ask for.
“Cycling is an endurance sport, for example, the Tour de France stages can last from five to six or seven hours at a time,” explained AG2R La Mondial GM Vincent Lavenu. “The products must perform and must also be comfortable. The development is done thanks to collecting information and feedback from our riders and then discussing it with the team at Bollé. It’s a process done step by step over time.”
Changing light conditions on the road, a fast pace sporting environment with nearly 200 racers in the peloton and long arduous stages through the most demanding terrain raced regardless of the weather forecast make WordlTour racing an ideal testing ground for eyewear. Bardet was frequently up the road in breakaways during the Tour collecting points for the climber’s classification which he would go on to win after his general classification aspirations collapsed early in the race.
“The fit needs to be perfect, especially at every contact point with the face,” Bardet said about what he looks for in a pair of sunglasses. “They need to be really comfortable, in some ways as though you forget that you are wearing them because they become a part of you. We wear them for many hours at a time, 5 to 6 to 7 hours so we cannot afford any discomfort or distraction.
“The lens has to perform and they must be really stable in all riding positions. Plus of course, they must look good!” the 2019 polka dot winner explained.
The lens of sunglasses is the most important feature ensuring the rider’s vision is clear and accurate. Bollé uses an adaptive lens that allows more light to enter in low light conditions and becomes more protective when the light is bright. This can be a huge advantage ensuring a racer’s vision is good throughout the stage even if conditions drastically change.
“It’s essential to have the highest performing lens, especially when we are cycling for so many hours and this is why it’s a great advantage for us to have the Bollé Phantom light adaptive lens,” Bardet said. “The weather and the light conditions can be very unpredictable and we find this lens performs brilliantly in terms of vision.”
Bardet noted that the Lightshifter meet these rigorous standards and in the time the team has been working with Bollé, he noted they are the most comfortable and stylish sunglasses they’ve had the chance to wear.
