Skins

Over the past decade sports clothing has changed considerably and has played an increasingly more significant part in performance.

As well as the obvious aerodynamic qualities it has been recognised that the tension of clothing on the skin can also directly effect physical performance.

I have been wearing a compression vest under my cycle jersey for a couple of years without the full knowledge of the total benefits.

My motivation was pure vanity as it went some was to disguising my middle aged spread.
I did however always feel more comfortable which in turn made me feel more compact and efficient.


A few weeks ago I was contacted by a fellow cyclist who asked me if I would be willing to trial out the new cycling Range C400 from 'Skins'.
I instantly recognised the company name as being in the forefront of sports clothing Technology.


I am not totally sure why I was asked, but I needed little time to consider.
It also gave me the incentive to do some research into the subject, the evidence is very compelling.

As I was cycling home from work today I knew that my skins parcel was going to be waiting for me so I decoded to cycle as fast as I could, all be it on my more demanding hill route.
As I started climbing I noticed a old man on a tourer carrying two large panier's.

He was about 400 meters behind me.
To my surprise within minutes I was aware of his presence directly behind me.
I was not aware of any retired 'Tour de France' winners in Hull and felt deflated, after all I was going full tilt.
I dug deeper and pushed harder..........still he was behind me.

By this time I was burring myself and knew I could not sustain the pace.

Cockily he then eased up beside me and said 'Good Afternoon'
I was always taught to respect my elders, but there was a passing thought that I might just nudge him off balance. Before the thought had fully registered in the darker side of my brain my attention was drawn to one of his panier's.

It appeared to contain a large battery with wires that travelled up to the front wheel which looked oddly peculiar. His feet were moving at a fraction of my own, but his right hand was skillfully pushing his throttle to the maximum.

'Good afternoon Fabian' I replied but I think the joke was lost on him.

When I got home my parcel awaited me and I frantically opened it with the anticipation of a child on Christmas morning.

Three beautifully boxed items greeted me.
A tank base layer, a short sleeved jersey and some bib shorts.
My initial impressions were that they oozed quality.

I had chosen the sizes from the size guide on the website as instructed.
Usually size guides for cycling clothing are just that 'Guides'.
I have previously purchased jerseys sized XXXL which would barley fit a 7 year old boy.
In this case the guide was perfect.
Without hesitation I decided to wear my new garments to watch the highlights of the Tour de France. It seemed the right thing to do.
I cant wait to test them for real.

Thank you Matt