Something I started noticing mid-this season. For instance, Pogacar and Mas both didn’t wear gloves at the Vuelya. Is there a known reason many pros are now not wearing gloves?
?idiocy. More seriously perhaps the more extreme heat? But I suspect just “fashion” trends as times change . I would never risk it in a peloton given greater injury to hands with falls …
Pure speculation on my part.. I used to ride no gloves for a while but I was strong and didn’t need them. They actually bothered me. Now as I get older and weaker I find I need them for comfort. I think today’s riders are just so strong that they have very little pressure on their hands.
There was a GCN video with this title and I was really interested in the answer but the video is 41 minutes long and I didn’t watch it! ![]()
Could be as simple as personal preference? I prefer riding gloveless, but I don’t do it because I need my hands to earn a crust.
Gloves provide me zero comfort - for me, they’re purely for protection in case I get knocked off my bike, or because of the chance of a wash-out on the gravel bike.
Don’t get it. I only had to suffer road rash on my palms one time when I was racing to understand that gloves were a great idea!
I concur. I can only assume that any cyclist not wearing gloves has not experienced sliding palm first down the pavement or gravel.
I’ve torn up my hands in a road bike crash before but I still don’t wear gloves unless it’s for warmth
Much prefer the feel and cooling effect of no gloves. Crashing once doesn’t outweigh the 1000s of other no-crash rides for me.
100% the same for me. Especially since I find gloves very quickly go out of shape and become even less comfortable.
GCN video basically said it was due to heat, and that you could reduce your temp by not wearing gloves etc. Pointed to Ineos in the tour TTT cooling their wrists.
Also pointed to a new glove that you can spray water over to cool you wrists etc
However no science/data presented to back any of it up
I don’t wear gloves when riding at home unless it’s cold but if I’ve entered an event where it’s a mass start then I wear gloves. If I’m away on holiday I’ll wear gloves because I’d sooner do that and if I misread the road and crash, then at least I can still get the bike back in it’s box with working hands.
If you’re selective about what gloves you buy - mainly about how and where they fasten - they also do an excellent job of keeping sun off. Since I’m of the “never tan, always burn” group, covering as much skin as possible at all times makes sense. Gloves can also prevent or minimise crash damage, and some can help prevent numbness on long rides (think brevets).
However, when it’s really hot it’s totally true that a lot of heat can escape via bare hands, so there are pros and cons.
Do you not have any problems with your hands slipping on the bars when the temps rise?
I have always worn gloves in my 40 years of riding and, while the protection in case of a crash is a reason why, the main reason is that my hands will slip on the bar tape if I don’t.
And there seems to be an age aspect to this. Where I am, the younger a rider is, the less likely they are to wear gloves.
I am going with rising temperatures. I have always worn gloves, even if very thin. This summer I have really noticed how they are soaking wet early in the ride and stay that way. I have found myself taking them off during the ride. I cannot remember it every being this bad. They also seem to smell no matter how much I wash them and what I use.
Tacky tape is pretty good…
Try hockey gloves… Oof…
They probably know / are sufficiently practiced not to stick their hands out when they’re about to hit the deck.
(post deleted by author)
Unfortunately, not all crashes allow for preplanning one’s fall and impact points.
Judo/rugby/skiing all involve learning to fall, applies to cycling too.