The new POC Vental Air with more ventilation and a slimmer profile than the Octal
EF Education First show off new helmet in the scorching heat of the Tour Down Under
Flashy pink Rapha kits are not the only new gear the EF Education First Pro Cycling team are rocking at the Tour Down Under, the WorldTour season opener, this January. Helmet sponsor POC have just unveiled a new helmet called the Ventral Air which saw race action for the first time at the Down Under Classic on Sunday.
Michael Woods was amoung the team riders wearing the new helmet which borrows heavily from its predecessors the Ventral which was debuted last year and the Octal. The helmets have a very similar pattern of front vents as on the Octal with the sides and back of the helmet a bit more reminiscent of the Ventral. The Ventral Air keeps the narrower more aero form of the Ventral but with more vents. That means that unlike the more prominent Octal, those concerned with aesthetics will like the helmets slimmer look.
The better-ventilated version of the Ventral, which is POC’s aero road helmet, is fittingly being raced for the first time in scorching hot Australia. The Vental Air replaces the Octal as the best-ventilated POC road helmet. POC say they have designed the ports and internal channels for better ventilation at both low and high speeds which should make the helmet attractive to a big spectrum of riders.
The new helmet is relatively light at 230 g but does not compromise on safety features which have always been a central part of POC’s design concepts. The Ventral Air features a uni-body shell construction, EPS liner and POC’s SPIN (Shearing Pad INside) system which is meant to disperse rotational forces in the event of an impact.
“Success in professional racing is built on performance and the Ventral Air, which is built on the evidence of POC’s tried and tested Octal and Ventral, is another performance leap forward for our team’s riders,” said EF Education First Pro Cycling CEO Jonathan Vaughters. “The hot days and mountain stages of next week’s Tour Down Under will be the ideal proving ground for Ventral Air.”
The helmet will be available this spring.
