The Breakaway

April 21, 2017

basque in the spanish sunshine

  • The ancient cobbled streets of Girona
  • The Church at Sant Grau
  • Levi of La Fabrica Girona

If you want to shoot a summer collection in sunshine you have to go abroad. The new SS17 range is ready around February and we want it on the site and available to you by the time the clocks change. This leaves a small window for a photoshoot and one that, in England, will be cold, grey and most likely wet. At great personal sacrifice we jetted off to Catalonia in early March to see our Spring / Summer 2017 put through it’s paces in and around Girona. Sun, fun and pintxos for everyone.

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow Proverb

Girona is a beautiful, ancient walled city with narrow, cobbled streets and home to Sommet who guided us around the city and the incredible cycling routes beyond. With local riders trialling the new season collection for us and FARA bikes on loan from Christian Meier’s Service Course, we were set for a two day whirlwind romance in this corner of Catalonia.

On day one we headed out of Girona on quiet winding roads heading towards the lake at Banyoles, home to the rowing events in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. Hanging from the back of an open van, photographer Jon Baines joined us again to capture the new collection. Jon has developed an enviable talent for holding tight with his legs whilst his hands operate expensive photography equipment — something the rest of the crew are yet to master.

Estany de Banyoles

Watching the riders decked out in the new Spring Summer range, looking out across the sun kissed lake was satisfying. We’ve radically updated the range with new items, improved fit and re-imagined colours and patterns — seeing it in this setting was a pleasure and reward for our design team’s hard work.

We wanted to shoot as much of the kit as possible, which meant several roadside wardrobe changes. A few outfits in and we were at the foot of the famous Rocacorba climb, along with a club run and a sportive. It seemed like this was a popular place to test yourself. The local riders were relieved that we weren’t doing the whole climb but certainly put the kit through it’s paces climbing and descending the hairpins and switchbacks we picked out as locations.

This year we’ve added blue bibshorts to the range, which can be worn with all our blue jerseys but also many of the other jerseys which have the same blue picked out in the designs. The Spanish sun really caught the best of the new season’s colours which we can’t wait to see on the roads of the UK. There’s nothing like some early season sun to get you dreaming of rides peppered with ice cream stops!

Day one finished in the medieval town of Besalú where we wanted to capture the sun set and weren’t disappointed. Despite being early in the year Besalú was crowded with tourists who were happy to admire the Chapeau! kit in this ancient setting.

Besalú

The next and final day we started in La Fabrica, another of Christian Meier’s post-racing career businesses and the place to start and finish rides for most cyclists it seems. Our caps proved as popular with the locals as they did the riders, with a few left behind as souvenirs of our visit. We’ve added even more caps to our range this year, if the rule for bikes is n+1 then it seems to be just as true for caps. A cotton cap can offer lots of practical protection on a ride but you need little more excuse that looking good in a café!

Following a good feed we headed for the coast, via a diversion due to a bike race. Cyclists, they’re such a pain! The scenery here was stunning and the weather was again kind to us. Jon Baines took position in trees, bushes and on rock faces to capture the riders as they weaved round the coast road. We love our local roads in Devon, some of the best roads and scenery can be found so close to home, but if you can we’d recommend a few days a year sampling roads like these. It’s a shame to see them from the back of a van, there might not be a better way to experience roads, views and good weather than from the saddle of a bike.

Veering off the coast road we headed up a climb to Sant Grau where a café awaited in the shadow of a church which seemed to be a shrine to rusting steel. A very old bike and moped were displayed like tributes to deities held in the highest esteem.

Sant Grau

Over two days we covered nearly forty costume changes across ten locations with enough coffees, crisps and biscuits to feed an army. It was hard work but exciting to see the SS17 range tested in such beautiful surroundings. We couldn’t be more excited to present this new season’s collection to you. Whether you’re a first time Chapeau! customer or a long time friend we’re sure there’ll be something for you to look forward to riding in. The old favourites have been refined and new products have been crafted, tested and honed to make this year the best yet.

Spring is here, so whether you’re basking in the sunshine or pulling on the arm warmers and gilets of British Summer get out there and ride!