One of the most visible gear the Tour de France riders use is the helmet, besides their bikes and sunglasses. Many brands are known to release new models just in time for the Tour de France to gain maximum publicity. After all, the Tour de France is the pinnacle cycling race of the year.
Each team is provided with three types of helmets;
- Aero helmets for maximizing aerodynamics and speeds. These are commonly used on flat and sprint finish stages and have minimal air vents to allow the air to flow smoothly through the helmet surface.
- Lightweight helmets are all about weight and breathability and are preferred for hilly and mountainous stages where each gram matters. These helmets have up to 20 air vents for maximum ventilation to cool down the riders.
- Time trial (TT) helmets are only used during time trials. Many models have just a handful of air vents (if any) as the helmet is designed to maximize aerodynamics.
All the helmet models are the brand’s top-of-the-line and/or latest models. Depending on the brands and models, they can cost anywhere from $200 to $400.
In 2023, there will be 16 bike helmet brands present at the Tour de France.
Ekoi (4 teams) and Specialized (3 teams) helmets are the most represented, followed by Abus (2 teams). The notable helmet brands absent are Bell and Giro.
2023 Tour de France Bikes and Gear
Helmet brands and models for each team
Here’s the breakdown of each helmet brand and models used by the teams.
Competitive Cyclist (US) is doing a 20% off POC helmets until the end of the Tour de France (23/7/2023). Find out more here.
| Team | Helmet brand | Aero helmet | Lightweight helmet | TT helmet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cofidis Israel-Premier Tech Lotto Dstny Team Arkea-Samsic | Ekoi | Aerodinamica (New) AR 14 | Gara | Chrono |
| Bora-Hansgrohe Soudal Quick-Step Total Energies | Specialized | S-Works Evade 3 | S-Works Prevail 3 | S-Works TT 5 |
| Alpecin-Deceuninck Movistar Team | Abus | Gamechanger | Airbreaker | Gamechanger TT |
| AG2R Citroen Team | HJC | Furion 2.0 | Ibex 3.0 (New) | Adwatt 1.5 |
| Astana-Qazaqstan Team | Limar | Air Atlas (New) | Air Pro | Air King |
| Bahrain Victorious | Rudy Project | Nytron | Egos (New) Spectrum | The Wing |
| EF Education-EasyPost | POC | Ventral | Ventral Air | Procen (New) |
| Groupama-FDJ | Julbo | Sprint | Fast Lane | n/a |
| Ineos Grenadiers | Kask | Wasabi | Protone Icon Elemento (New) | Bambino Pro |
| Intermarche-Circus-Wanty | Uvex | n/a | Rise Pro | Rise CC |
| Jumbo-Visma | Lazer | Strada | Vento | Volante |
| Lidl-Trek | Trek / Giro | Ballista (New) | Velocis (New) | Giro Aerohead |
| Team DSM | Scott | Cadence Plus | Centric Plus | Split Plus |
| Team Jayco Alula | Giant | Pursuit | Rev Pro | Rivet TT |
| UAE Team Emirates | MET | Manta | Trenta 3K | Codatronca |
| UNO-X Pro Cycling Team | Sweet Protection | Falconer Aero 2Vi | Falconer 2Vi | Redeemer 2Vi (New) |
2023 Tour de France helmet photos
Tour de France Past Winners
Alex Lee is the founder and editor-at-large of Mr. Mamil. Coming from a professional engineering background, he breaks down technical cycling nuances into an easy-to-understand and digestible format here.
He has been riding road bikes actively for the past 12 years and started racing competitively in the senior category during the summer recently.