If you want to wear what the pro’s wear, the new POC Ventral Air Team Edition helmet might be exactly what you need. It comes in the signature pink colors of EF Education–EasyPost and matches the current helmet design worn by the pro men on the EF team.
Every year, POC releases a limited quantity of Team Edition replica helmets like this, and every year, they sell out quickly. If you want the 2024 version so you can show your support for the EF team, you’ll need to get a jump on this one before it’s gone.
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The EF Effect
Yeah, van der Poel is there, but I'm focused on Stefan Bissegger and his sick EF kit and bike. Photo: EF Education–EasyPost
I am a bit biased, but EF Education–EasyPost is my favorite pro cycling team. I’ve been a fan ever since they were called “Slipstream” over 10 years ago. One reason is that they’re my “home team.” The EF team headquarters is in Boulder, Colorado, and their offices are less than 20 minutes from my house.
The other reason is their awesome sense of style. Ever since EF took over as the team’s lead sponsor in 2018, I’ve considered their flashy pink kits to be the best-looking kits in pro cycling. Their bright pink jerseys always stand out in the peloton, which is full of boring, safe, and uninspired kit designs. Their Cannondale bikes have also featured some awesome paint jobs over the years.
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The EF Palace x Rapha Giro switchout kit made many cycling fans gag. I loved it. Photo: S J Hockett
The EF team has always been a bit disruptive in terms of fashion. Many pro racing fans likely remember how their Palace collabs for the Giro in 2020 and the Tour de France in 2022 broke the internet and brought out countless haters (that’s usually a good sign that something is fresh and cool). I even went out and bought myself a couple pairs of the 2022 Rapha x Palace EF Crocs, and they’re always a hit at every bike event I attend.
My EF Crocs. Feel free to hate. That's fashion, baby.
Even when EF wore the less ostentatious blue colors of their former lead sponsor, Garmin, they were pushing boundaries. In 2014, they brought on the innovative Swedish brand POC as their helmet and sunglass sponsor.
When the partnership was announced, I remember many commenters and forum users calling these helmets the ugliest things they had ever seen. POC had a reputation for prioritizing safety, so their helmets extended farther down the sides and back of the head. This gave them a round and bulbous shape that many people compared to Toad from Super Mario Bros and his iconic mushroom head.
POCs Always Stand Out (In a Good Way?)
Nathan Hass winning at Herald Sun Tour. His POC looked like it was from the future while everyone else's looked stuck in the '90s. Photo: Con Chronis Photography
At the time, I didn’t really think much of the internet chatter around POC entering the pro peloton. I didn’t hate POC helmets, but I didn’t like them either. That all changed when I saw them in use.
On Stage 4 of the 2014 Tour Down Under, I watched Nathan Hass sprinting for the win. He was beaten to the line by André Greipel, but the image that got burned in my mind was Hass’s massive (relative to other cyclists) arms wrenching at his bars as his head bobbed up and down. The helmet he was wearing was the POC Octal. In an all-out sprint he looked like a video game character — a cyclist from the future. He looked f****** awesome. Everyone else looked... old. I was so inspired, I bought a POC Octal that summer.
Lachlan Morton, the patron saint of alt cycling, scorched the Tour Divide record (unofficially) in a POC Ventral Air. I think he looks rad AF. Photo: Ryan Hill / EF Education-EasyPost
There’s just something about POC designs that, like EF’s pink jerseys, makes them stand out in a sea of bland and conventional helmet designs. The shape helps too. So do the large rectangular vents oriented in straight parallel lines which give the helmets a clean and modern aesthetic.
When I first tried getting my girlfriend (now wife) into cycling, she asked for a POC helmet as well. She finally felt the desire to put on a cycling kit after following various cycling influencers, who were also beauty and fashion influencers. What helmets were all these fashion-forward women wearing? POCs.
My wife and I have stuck with POC for the last 10 years. I have dabbled a bit with other options from Specialized, Giro, and Kask, but I always keep a POC helmet in my rotation. If I could only keep one of my current helmets, it’d be my trusty POC Ventral. It's just has "the look."
Beautiful? Maybe. Maybe not (I'd say Kasks are the prettiest). But striking? Yes. POC is very striking. I guess that's fashion.
Should You Buy This Ventral Air Team Edition?
Dressed in pink, EF Education-EasyPost fans are more than just supporters; they are part of the team. Watch any race, and you will see roadsides littered with pink as they encourage the riders through all the ups and downs. And we wanted to meet their demands and give them even more reason and opportunity to feel a part of the team with the new 2024 season team edition, so they can show their support out on the road.
– Lina Elfstrand, Chief Marketing Officer at POC
I’m happy we can offer our fans the opportunity to show their support out on the road with the latest team-edition helmet from POC. But it’s not just about wearing pink and supporting EF Education-EasyPost; with the team-edition helmets, our fans will also benefit from the exact same performance and protection our riders do.
– Jonathan Vaughters, CEO of EF Pro Cycling
Style is personal, but I think this EF Team Edition Ventral Air MIPS helmet looks sick. Personally, I wouldn’t wear an EF jersey because I like to keep sponsor logos off my kits, but I’d totally rock the EF helmet.
This special Team Edition helmet retails for $40 more than a standard Ventral Air MIPS helmet. If you’re an EF fan, it might be worth it. If you’re a fan of pink and POC, this is the way to get both. There’s something about a pink helmet that just works for me. It’s hi-vis without searing your eyes like a hi-vis yellow or orange helmet. I’d just need to make sure I wear a kit that matches well.
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Tech Specs:
- Structurally optimized helmet with precise ventilation ports and internal channels to control the air intake and release at both high and low speeds.
- Extreme cooling and ventilation due to ports and innovative internal airflow design.
- Unique design optimized with CFD testing for aerodynamic performance and minimal air turbulence.
- MIPS Rotational Protection System.
- High-performance EPS liner with targeted and optimized density to provide the ideal balance of low weight and crash protection.
- Fully wrapped uni-body shell construction to increase safety and helmet integrity.
- Light-weight size adjustment system for a personalized fit.
- Easily adjustable precision straps anchored to the helmet liner for extra comfort and safety.
- TwICEme – NFC Digital Medical ID chip.
- Eye garage to keep your sunglasses securely in position when placed on the helmet.
- Sizes – Small (50-56cm), Medium (54-59cm) & Large (56-61cm).
- Weight – 230g CE (size M), 270g in CPSC & AS/NZS (size M).
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