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innovation

VPD: The material to protect your mobility

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All POC body protection is made using protectors of VPD, or visco-elastic polymer dough. Discover why protection matters, the standards we test to and which category of protection is suitable for your style of riding.

innovation

The Science of Multiple Certification

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Discover the processes and testing involved in creating the triple-certified Calyx helmet.
snow

The Thrill Of The Hunt

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You could say Marco Odermatt was born to ski. Hailing from the Nidwalden region of the Swiss Alps––an area steeped in ski culture and history­­––he grew up in a family of skiers.
field notes

Hedvig Wessel and Storen - The Mountain Decides

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Hedvig Wessel describes her connection to the mountain that inspired her new signature collection. The first time I climbed Store Skagastølstind (Storen) was in July 2022. It’s one of Norway's highest and most complex mountains, so I was motivated to climb it and intrigued by the difficulty, beauty, and adventure in front of me. We started with an evening approach, sleeping in our tent at the...
guidance

Protection Choices: Kajsa Larsson

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To get the most from any day in the mountains, take the time to find the ski helmet and goggles that are going to work best for you. Here, Kajsa Larsson guides us through everything she considers when choosing her head protection.

snow

Craig Murray - It’s all in the details

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In skiing and life, Craig Murray carves an inventive line. He is a modern-day shapeshifter who is down-to-earth while also ambitiously visionary. As a ski film luminary, a Freeride World Tour medalist and World Cup mountain bike racer, and a dedicated advocate for making skiing more accessible and inclusive, Craig operates in global and local spaces all at once. The pursuit of his dreams has t...
guidance

Protection choices: Marco Odermatt

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To get the most from any day in the mountains, take the time to find the ski helmet and goggles that are going to work best for you. Here, alpine ski racing champion Marco Odermatt guides us through what matters to him when choosing his head protection.

The principle of visibility

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“I just didn’t see them until it was too late.” “I couldn’t stop in time; I didn’t see them soon enough.” Both common, valid, statements that are heard all too often in the aftermath of an accident. While some go further and try to shift blame on to the more vulnerable, more exposed party—a cyclist or a pedestrian—it’s always worth remembering the old adage “stay safe, stay seen” whenever we p...
mtb

The weightless expectation

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On the face of it full-face helmets offer obvious safety advantages. Riders who take on gravity-fed trails will have the extra protection where their heads are fully covered.
innovation

CFD simulation and testing

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Competitive cyclists optimize every pedal stroke to deliver pure forward motion. Several details need to align to create precise forward motion on a bike, such as fitness, power, and technique, all of which are basic building blocks to building speed. Cycle for any distance, though, and it becomes immediately clear that regardless of your pedal stroke, the most important aspect is not how st...
innovation

Shape the things to come

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Competitive cyclists optimize every pedal stroke to deliver pure forward motion. Several details need to align to create precise forward motion on a bike, such as fitness, power, and technique, all of which are basic building blocks to building speed. Cycle for any distance, though, and it becomes immediately clear that regardless of your pedal stroke, the most important aspect is not how st...
innovation

The new Chamois Project

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As a cyclist, the chances are that the subject of cycling saddles and discomfort has been raised many times. Unusually, it is a topic that interests cycling friends and non-cyclists alike, with the latter especially intrigued with how modern cycling can develop products that seemingly make you more uncomfortable! And it's not a new subject. A famous 'Yellow Pages' TV advert from the UK in the ...
innovation

Sitting pretty

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As a cyclist, the chances are that the subject of cycling saddles and discomfort has been raised many times. Unusually, it is a topic that interests cycling friends and non-cyclists alike, with the latter especially intrigued with how modern cycling can develop products that seemingly make you more uncomfortable! And it's not a new subject. A famous 'Yellow Pages' TV advert from the UK in the ...
cycling

What makes a team?

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A team that makes their sport beautiful to watch is one that is appreciated by all, regardless of sport, regardless of success. Such teams represent sport in its truest form. They show that it is not only winning that makes a team and they demonstrate that the spectacle of pure competition is so alluring. In the WorldTour, EF Education-EasyPost has long been that team. The team has been—and ...
inspiration

Hydration fundamentals with Maurten’s Joshua Rowe

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In the second instalment on race fueling and hydration we explore the role and importance of a hydration and how it will affect your gravel race.
innovation

Clarity by POC

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Whether you are threading your way through a rock garden, in the middle of the city, or out on the road before the sunrise, one thing is always the same; your vision is the gateway to decision making, safety and performance. Being able to react a millisecond quicker can often be the difference in a winning run and being able to avoid an accident. It is a constant that is often overlooked by ma...
mtb

The meaning of Team 31

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An indisputable fact of life is that we have all been a child. At least at some point. Some of us might even think we still are. Equally valid, however, is the fact that our childhoods are rarely comparable. Many of us will have the ability to reflect on our childhood experiences filled with long sunny days, without a worry in the world, apart from what's for lunch. But for many others, it is ...
mtb

Small and perfectly formed

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In 1980 a young hippie living on the US west coast read an article about this new “Clunker Bike” movement that was happening in various places around the country, especially in Marin County, California, and Crested Butte, Colorado.
innovation

Complement each other

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Our lives are full of examples where a single thing can be complemented, making it even better. The simple equation where one plus one equals two no longer applies: instead it makes three. Marriage and relationships could be the purest example of two parts coming together to enhance the whole. Equally, from dawn to dusk, there are examples that fill our day: toast and honey, meatballs and lin...
innovation

Considered Performance

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At its very core, and from its very beginnings, the bicycle has delivered sustainable efficiency. As well as the environmental benefits of travelling by bike, it brings with it proven physical and mental health benefits. But in the world of performance cycling, and a search for speed above all else, the quest for performance efficiency has shifted focus away from the original and inherently su...
field notes

Chris Burkard

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Chris Burkard is already an inspiration to many. An accomplished explorer, photographer, creative director, speaker, and author. He may be best known for images of untamed, powerful landscapes, and he strives to share his vision of wild places with millions of people, to inspire them to explore for themselves.
inspiration

Fueling fundamentals with Maurten’s Joshua Rowe

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”There's no speed without power and no power without calories.” Those words are from Olav Alexander Bu — Norwegian sports scientist and super coach — and sum up nutrition for endurance performance in an exquisitely simple way. To break down that concept further, and to give a rider a clear idea on how they can use it in their own fuelling and hydration strategies, we talked to Maurten’s Nutr...
innovation

The Tech: twICEme NFC Medical ID

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We add an NFC Medical ID chip provided by twICEme® to numerous helmets and selected apparel pieces so that your protection can speak for you when you can’t. Getting the right help quickly after an accident can mean the difference between life and death. Twiceme’s NFC Medical ID technology is based on a new generation of NFC (Near Field Communication), similar to the technology used in...
snow

Eager to Learn

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Learning is a constant process. We are eager to learn without being aware of it. As kids, we figure out how to walk, the opening times for the supermarket, and approximately when the sun sets. We learn from those wiser than us. We make mistakes, learn from them, and grow.

snow

Ready for Anything in Riksgränsen

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In skiing, conditions are constantly changing. Temperatures rise and fall, snow melts and refreezes, the wind blows, and the light fades. So there's no better place to be tested by extreme conditions than Riksgränsen, a mountainous wilderness in the heart of the Swedish Arctic. It's where dark winter days contrast with bright summer nights, and the snow lasts from September through June. ...
snow

Mai Ikuzawa - Break With Convention

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With an international upbringing swathed over a diverse background in motor racing, mountain culture and a cosmopolitan urban life, Mai Ikuzawa is that force, exuding a vision that naturally emanates from her heritage and DNA.
snow

Great Heights: The making of the Hedvig Wessel collection

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Throughout Hedvig Wessel's life, the mountains have always been her guide. They are her internal compass, directing her path in skiing and beyond. Hedvig’s love for the mountains shaped her into a six-time Norwegian mogul champion and sent her on her way to become a dominant force in big mountain skiing.
the human engine

Stina Lönnkvist

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The human engine is worth celebrating. In this series, we speak to commuters around the world to discover why they choose to commute by bike, and what it means to use the human engine.
cycling

Inspired by Sule

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Recently we woke up to the tragic news trickling out of North America; our friend, partner, teammate and inspiration Sule Kangangi died whilst competing in the Vermont Overland gravel race.
inspiration

Living the dream is not supposed to be convenient

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Dreams. We all have them. Ideas and inspirations forged in the heart that may end up placing us in a particular place or on a specific path.

cycling

Levelling the playing field – Team Amani

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In 2021 the world saw the dawn of a new era in African off-road bike racing with the Migration Gravel race. An international field, consisting of some of the world’s finest professional gravel racers and the biggest cycling talents from East Africa.
the human engine

Oliver Hooson

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For most commuters it starts with a job, then comes the commute. For Oliver Hooson it was the opposite – his career was built around him commuting. 
the human engine

Noah Bramme

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For Noah Bramme, an advertising creative based in Stockholm, the bike commute to work is not about stress, sweat or speed but about enjoying a good ride. And about falling in love.
mtb

Winning Ways

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Even if standing on the top step of a podium is the objective for most mountain bike racers, for Jenny and her teammates in Team 31, there is a new way of winning.
snow

Evolution in action

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Progression and change are a constant on the Freeride World Tour. But this year, that was more evident than ever.
snow

Home is where the heart is

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Whether it is a run from top to bottom at the local ski hill or a road trip to the tallest mountain on the horizon; to earn the reward, you have to be willing to put in the work.
snow

The Classic Question

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Who, or what, defines a classic is a source of great curiosity. And has been the subject of everything from heated family discussions around the dinner table to deep philosophical debates with scholars from the finest institutions of the world. It is, of course, a matter of great subjectivity. Is it even possible to define? What is a classic to one person is often seen in a wholly diffe...
innovation

Complement each other

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Our lives are full of examples where a single thing can be complemented, becoming even better. The simple equation where one plus one makes two no longer applies, instead it makes three. Marriage and relationships could be the purest example of two pieces coming together to enhance the whole. Equally, from dawn to dusk, there are examples that litter our day; it could be the addition of sal...
cycling

Made from a pot of gold_ POC x Rapha edition

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It’s hard to grasp the extremes of a professional cyclist’s life. It could be the three-week Grand Tours, ascending beyond 5000m in one day, fighting against wind and cobbles, or even the alternative endurance events that routinely fill the modern cycling calendar. The Omne, exploring new frontiers with Lachlan Morton Day after day. Week after week. Year after year. Riders wil...
cycling

‘Not all kilometers are equal’ – The Migration Gravel Race

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Photos by Saltlake_Lianhttps://www.instagram.com/saltlake_lian/ The Migration Gravel race proudly states that its kilometers are different and will undoubtedly test riders who take on the challenge. As a semi supported four-day stage race across the wilds of the Maasai Mara, Kenya, the 650 km route course covers single track, game trails, red clay, and rough hard pack gravel. And w...
cycling

The weight of milliseconds

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Imagine being on a bike at the top of a steep descent and letting gravity take over. As you release the brakes, the change of pace is immediate and exhilarating, providing a rush of uncontrolled air and adrenaline. But then your instincts fight back and take over to bring you back under control. It’s hard to fight thousands of years of evolution and self-preservation. Tuning in t...
inspiration

Life in the air

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In the world of mountain biking, Martin Söderström is synonymous with style, taking known tricks and adding a distinctive personal stamp. So much so, you will always recognize him, even when he’s inverted off a gigantic kicker in the middle of a competition. Style like a royal seal. Unmistakable. But what it takes to get there and how hard it is to achieve is...
innovation

Different by Design

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Everything starts with a reason: a question that needs a solution. It’s never simply about creating protection that works, the question is how to ensure a user stays as safe as possible while having the freedom to perform at their best. POC’s engineering and development expert Fredrik Hallander models the helmet by hand. At the start of the design process for...
inspiration

Infinity is around the corner

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“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare. It is because we do not dare that things are difficult.” Few will argue with Seneca’s wise words, and most of us will recognize how their influence is ever-present in guiding our day to day lives and decisions. And now, thanks to technology and very creative minds, we are served with a never-ending stream of content—an unlimited...

Alex Armstrong_ Simple is complex

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Images by Jordan Boratynec A moment can be taken at face value as a particular etch in time. But what if you considered every moment that came before it as one that led and prepared you for the one you’re in now? I thought a lot about this as I put one foot in front of the other on my way up to the Olive Hut in the interior of British Columbia. As Ginny White, Jordan Boratynec and myself ...
snow

Pioneer spirit

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Jeremy Jones has been a bright star on the snowboarding scene for more than 20 years. As a true pioneer of the sport, leading the way with a new way of accessing the mountains with snowboards and working with mother nature, today he’s more relevant than ever. Thirteen years after he founded Protect Our Winters, the ten-time Big Mountain Rider of the Year is more aware than ever of his advocacy...

Olympic expectations

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Have fun, ski well and ski smart. No one could possibly disagree with Sarah Höfflin’s ideas and approach to skiing. Although most of us may not be as conscious of it, it is certainly what we are all trying to achieve when we are out on the slopes, especially as it will come with various levels of success. But the big difference between us, the regular skiers, and Sarah Höfflin is that her...

The power of the turn

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Skiing every single day in the winter, whatever the weather and regardless of the conditions is Marcus Caston’s thing; from the first November snowfalls in his home state, Utah, all the way through to his annual Icelandic grande finale in May. He tends not to stop there though, he packs his bags and points he skis elsewhere, summer shredding the Mt Hood glacier corn as a coach for his Party...

Fabio Wibmer_ Making a pioneer

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Fabio Wibmer is a bike pioneer. It is a simple and unquestionable fact. Watch any of his films and it’s easy to understand why. Although a viewer will be left with a curious sense of awe and disbelief, the facts are there, plain for all to see. He is able to imagine and do things on a bike that is beyond compare. But long before his films, like Home Office and Urban Freeride Lives 1-...

Inspired by_ Bex Baraona x GMBN

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Dealing with concussion It’s rare to finish a day on a mountain bike and not be grinning from ear to ear. It is a sport that revolves around positive feelings. Of course, as part of the enjoyment comes with finding individual limits and testing skill levels, it’s natural that accidents happen. Luckily most riders will not suffer anything more than a dent to their confidence. It is rare to ...

Take in the sights

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When you take a step back, the world almost seems too vast to comprehend. There is so much of it, how is it possible to take it all in? Like the voracious reader, burning the candle at both ends, flipping page after page in an attempt to absorb as much of the world’s great thinking, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer scale of what’s there to be read. We have vast opportunities, but ...

Make or break from dawn to dusk

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When the alarm goes off it’s always too early. The temptation is to reach for the snoooooze button, just to squeeze out those extra five minutes under a warm cosy duvet, snuggled up to an obedient pillow, convinced that those glorious five minutes will make or break the day ahead. The irony is more often than not it just makes you late. Playing catch up with precious minutes you real...

The American Downhiller_ A Historical Bond

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Over the years American Downhiller’s have created history and built a reputation as fearsome competitors. The ‘American Downhiller’ mission is to empower young ski racers and create a speed-skiing platform for future generations. Supported by the best current and former downhill ski racers and coaches, as well as the most advanced ski technology and safety from POC, the objective is to suppo...

Hedvig Wessel_ Leap into the known

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It’s hard to put yourself in the shoes of an elite athlete. And it’s especially hard when the chosen sport is as physically, mentally and technically demanding as mogul skiing, which often resembles high speed organized chaos, with backflips thrown in for good measure. Hedvig Wessel, as one of the world’s leading mogul skiers, representing Norway at the last two Winter Olympics, and while s...

Kristofer Turdell_ Seeing is believing

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Whether you’re watching Kristofer Turdell live from a crisp, snowy mountainside or online in the comfort of a warm cozy sofa, one thing is always the same; a jaw-dropping sense of awe. There is a myriad of skiing talent around the globe, some focused on competitions, others on capturing adventures, all of whom serve up the ski community with daily doses of inspiration, be it through films, ...

Sit down for equality

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The world is filled with mysteries. How the pyramids were built; if the Loch Ness monster is real; if the Bermuda triangle really should be avoided; and if Stonehenge is just an incredibly impressive sun dial being just a few. Less discussed, perhaps, but no less mysterious, is why female cyclists have had to endure a century or more of less than optimal cycling apparel. Things have improve...

The ’Gowaan’ gal

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If you found yourself trail side at any of the Enduro World Series races in recent times, you would find it hard to miss a strange new shout of encouragement rising above the cacophony of ‘allez allez’, ‘vai vai’ and ‘yeah boi!’. The mysteriously sounding ‘Gowaan’, with its roots deep in the vibrant UK mountain bike scene, is now as likely to be heard in Santa Cruz as it is in Sheffield. It...

Field Notes_ The essence of humanity

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The human race has advanced at an almost unimaginable pace, from remote hunter-gatherers to digitally interconnected globetrotters. A change that, in geological timescales at least, has happened in the blink of an eye. No matter the speed, however, or even the relative value of some of the change, one defining aspect of the human character shines through, our constant need to question. Ov...

THE GRAND CELEBRATION OF ENDURANCE

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The Grand Tours of cycling – the three-week races of Italy, France and Spain – have no sporting rivals as feats of endurance. The Tour de France, the oldest and grandest of them all, offers a particularly searching examination of a rider’s physical fitness and mental resilience. Ferocious climbs, nerve-shredding descents, full-bore sprints and timed efforts that require nothing less from a ...

Hugh Carthy: keeping it real

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Carthy cuts a striking figure, even among the ultra-lean community of professional cyclists. With his buzz cut, earring and laconic demeanour, he has something of the British rock star or film actor about him which has blended in perfectly with the personalities and approach of the EF Education First pro cycling team. “You can express yourself a bit more in a team like this,” Carthy says. “...

Understanding head trauma

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The Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN) is the go-to resource for mountain bikers around the world, providing everything from tips and tricks for better riding, to insight and analysis on every aspect of riding a mountain bike. Their world-class and ex-pro rider presenters bring countless years of experience to the show. See them talk to brain injury specialist and member of the POC Lab Per Ha...

GMBN_ Understanding Concussion

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The Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN) is the go-to resource for mountain bikers around the world, providing everything from tips and tricks for better riding, to insight and analysis on every aspect of riding a mountain bike. Their world-class and ex-pro rider presenters bring countless years of experience to the show. See them talk to brain injury specialist and member of the POC Lab Per ...

Inspired by_ Dirty Kanza

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It’s long. It’s hot. It has a simple premise and a simple allure that makes it relatable in a way that multi-stage races on the World Tour never can be. But most of all, it’s a crazy race. This year, as part of Team EF’s Alternative Race Calendar, three riders—Alex Howes, Taylor Phinney and Lachlan Morton—went off the beaten path and on to the gravel roads in rural Kansas to experience an ...

GCN_ "The future of Helmet safety"

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The Global Cycling network inspires millions of bike riders around the globe, putting cyclists in the center of the world’s bike action: from the iconic climbs of Alpe D’Huez and Mont Ventoux to the cobbles of Flanders, in fact, everywhere there is road or pave. Their team of world-class riders and ex-pro riders are highly regarded and speak with experience on many topics, such as the latest...

Great Minds Think Together

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It is not simply finished products that change people’s lives; rather it is the concepts and ideas that shape these products. It is only through having the freedom and the space to develop ideas that real change can happen. And often, a different perspective is vital before new solutions can materialize. Take, for example, how Superglue came to be: First developed to be used in the production ...

POC LAB Advisory Board_ Magdalena Lindman

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This article is part of our series featuring select members of the POC Lab, our scientific forum where we discuss new research ideas and ways we can innovate to enhance safety. The forum takes a holistic approach to safety and develops ideas and perspectives that may not have been previously considered. Magdalena Lindman is a person of many talents. The leader of a team of traffic safety data ...

POC Lab_ Magdalena lindman

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This article is part of our series featuring select members of the POC Lab, our scientific forum where we discuss new research ideas and ways we can innovate to enhance safety. The forum takes a holistic approach to safety and develops ideas and perspectives that may not have been previously considered. Magdalena Lindman is a person of many talents. The leader of a team of traffic safety da...

POC LAB Advisory Board_ Per Hamid Ghatan

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This article is part of our series featuring select members of the POC Lab, our scientific forum where we discuss new research ideas and ways we can innovate to enhance safety. The forum takes a holistic approach to safety and develops ideas and perspectives that may not have been previously considered. Per Hamid Ghatan MD, PhD embodies the scientific credentials of the POC Lab. A leading expe...

POC LAB Advisory Board_ Claes Hultling

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This article is part of our series featuring select members of the POC Lab, our scientific forum where we discuss new research ideas and ways we can innovate to enhance safety. The forum takes a holistic approach to safety and develops ideas and perspectives that may not have been previously considered. “A broken leg is a broken leg, but a broken soul does not heal in the same way. You cannot ...

POC Lab_ Claes Hultling

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This article is part of our series featuring select members of the POC Lab, our scientific forum where we discuss new research ideas and ways we can innovate to enhance safety. The forum takes a holistic approach to safety and develops ideas and perspectives that may not have been previously considered. “A broken leg is a broken leg, but a broken soul does not heal in the same way. You can...

POC Lab_ Per Hamid Ghatan

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This article is part of our series featuring select members of the POC Lab, our scientific forum where we discuss new research ideas and ways we can innovate to enhance safety. The forum takes a holistic approach to safety and develops ideas and perspectives that may not have been previously considered. Magdalena Lindman is a person of many talents. The leader of a team of traffic safety da...

Don't get lost losing yourself

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Being high in the sky, amongst the soaring snow-covered peaks, sucking in the pure fresh air and filling the soul with wellbeing has long been a movement for many seeking out a healthy and rounded lifestyle. Using nature to find balance and detox dates back centuries; long before snow sports and bikes become available, the mountains were used by the Victorians for a ‘change of air’, restori...

Cooling the heat

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Cloying, clinging, draining, debilitating, pulse-raising, strength-sapping, vision-inducing heat. Extreme temperatures are no friend to the cyclist, something EF Education First Pro Cycling Team’s Simon Clarke describes so succinctly. To discuss with him the searing heat that characterises many of the engagements in the elite UCI WorldTour is to encounter an attitude so rational and accepti...

Inspired by pink

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Inspired by EF Pro Cycling_ "I cannot believe it. That was the longest 14km of my life...When I think of champions like Sep and Sebastian pulling for me - it’s everything”. Alberto Bettiol, with a classy solo finish, took a monumental first professional victory at one of cycling’s greatest races, the Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders). A grueling Classic steeped in history, with ...

Nature and the whole helmet

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Helmets will often look the same, but they are not all created equal. Developing renowned and award-winning helmets, which balance the primary need for optimal safety with essential performance requirements, such as weight, ventilation, comfort or aerodynamics, requires experience, a broad outlook and a team of obsessive engineers. It also requires a concept which can bind the stag...

KM:DAYS_ Inspired by the inspired

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It takes something truly special to stand out in life’s constantly updated feed: we all search for a personal connection with our sources of inspiration. Right now, there are two women doing something different; something inspiring; something that connects. Kajsa Larsson and Malou Peterson show their technical ability and the pure thrill of being in the mountains in their excellent KM Days se...

Everyone can win, not everyone can lose

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Mind-boggling. There’s no other way to describe what Ester Ledecká accomplished at the Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. One of the biggest bangs in the history of alpine racing…and alpine snowboarding, and one which left everyone smiling broadly, trying to absorb the magnitude and uniqueness of what they had just witnessed! Interestingly though, the millions of viewers around the globe were not...

Multi track mind

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Specialists reign supreme amongst professional skiers, it’s rare to find one athlete that excels against the watch, in front of a panel of big mountain judges and on the big screen. It’s rarer still to find a skier that has been doing it for a decade or more. In Mattias Hargin that’s exactly what you have, a competitive, multi-talented, big mountain slalom skier who happens to enjoy skiing eve...

Simpson Magazine_ CHPT3 x POC Devesa

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Inspired by Simpson Magazine_ "The collaboration between POC and CHPT3 to create the Ventral Devesa SPIN helmet and special edition Crave and Require glasses represents an understated triumph. Both parties have so strong an aesthetic that such a successful project could hardly have been predicted. Indeed, placing a pattern inspired by a forest near Girona on such a beguilingly simple...

Testing, testing

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Helmets are now a common sight on roads and mountains around the globe. Thanks to a mix of technology, information, behavioral change and regulation, what would have been inconceivable twenty or thirty years ago, is now far more common place. In some countries wearing a helmet has become so synonymous with enhanced safety that it’s a shock to the senses when a bike rider or skier passes by i...

Life in the fast lane

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It takes something special to ski downhill, where gravity is harnessed and worked overtime in the pursuit of milliseconds, and slopes of snow are replaced with walls of ice. Winning World Cup races, or competing in multiple Olympic games, takes something even more extraordinary and it’s easy to understand why few skiers remain at that level for long. But for Steven Nyman, who has held his plac...

Scaling new perspectives

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Like many Swedes, Johan Jonsson was introduced to skiing before he could tie his own shoelaces, and long before he could appreciate the gift his parents were sharing. Those early days have led to a life full of skiing, and unlike many of his friends, his love for the sport hasn’t faded over time, instead it’s grown stronger with each new seasons snowfall. Photo: Bea Tander Gellerbrant ...

The best days are the bad days!

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What defines a bad ski day; Is it one where you are freezing, spend the day skiing ice, have constantly aching feet and bad visibility? We all have our own ideas of what ‘bad’ means, and when you consider the list of obstacles that can ruin a day it is easy to see why choosing to stay at home in front of a roaring fire is that much more sensible. But turn it all around and look at those iss...

Icing on the cake

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For almost all her life Kajsa Larsson has been skiing, and yet it still feels like the vast opportunities are now opening up and she’s just getting started. Soon, economics and marketing studies in Oslo will be finalized, and then she’ll follow her calling and “move to a mountain, somewhere.” Exactly where doesn’t really seem to matter, as long as she can ski and experience the mountains in he...

Live a lifetime of good decisions

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Venture into the mountains and you will be met with an intoxicating mix of inspiring landscapes and pristine nature, you will also be subject to the multitude of daily variables that decide whether the slopes on which you slide are safe. Avalanches are as natural as the mountains themselves and witnessing mother nature shake off her excess load is both awe-inspiring and terrifying.Thanks to ...

Charging the calculated mind

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There are a lot of passionate skiers out there. There are even lots of extremely passionate skiers. But in Chamonix there is one skier, who exudes passion and positivity for the mountains more than anyone else, and who’s taking skiing to another level. When Tof Henry talks about what he skied yesterday, or will be skiing tomorrow, and how he intends to get there, he could easily be mistaken ...

Hugh Carthy: keeping it real

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Carthy cuts a striking figure, even among the ultra-lean community of professional cyclists. With his buzz cut, earring and laconic demeanour, he has something of the British rock star or film actor about him which has blended in perfectly with the personalities and approach of the EF Education First pro cycling team. “You can express yourself a bit more in a team like this,” Carthy says. “Y...

CHPT3 x POC CoLab

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– Built on unconventional and positive thinking In the summer of 2013, amongst all the horns and chaos pulsating through the Tour de France, a lone racer with the Garmin Sharp team, Ryder Hesjedal, set off waves of raised eyebrows through cycling’s most famous caravan. Not for his racing, power data, or something he said, but for wearing unconventional eyewear. It was a disruptive moment f...

THE GRAND CELEBRATION OF ENDURANCE

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The Grand Tours of cycling – the three-week races of Italy, France and Spain – have no sporting rivals as feats of endurance. The Tour de France, the oldest and grandest of them all, offers a particularly searching examination of a rider’s physical fitness and mental resilience. Ferocious climbs, nerve-shredding descents, full-bore sprints and timed efforts that require nothing less from a r...

POC Sweden and MIPS have reached a settlement and will strengthen their cooperation

On November 15, 2017 MIPS AB (”MIPS”) disclosed that the company had been granted a preliminary injunction in Germany in order to prevent an infringement by POC Sweden AB (”POC”) of one of MIPS' patents. Following POC’s opposition the preliminary injunction was withdrawn on 16th March and POC filed a counter claim against MIPS. MIPS and POC have today agreed on a settlement with respect to the...

MIPS and POC Sweden have reached a settlement and will strengthen their cooperation

[caption id="attachment_3242" align="alignnone" width="584"] SPIN pad[/caption] On November 15, 2017 MIPS AB (”MIPS”) disclosed that the company had been granted a preliminary injunction in Germany in order to prevent an infringement by POC Sweden AB (”POC”) of one of MIPS' patents. Following POC’s opposition the preliminary injunction was withdrawn on 16th March and POC filed a counter claim ...

POC presents brand new helmets and innovations for winter 18/19

POC, which has built a reputation on safety, innovation and design, announces several new major products for its 2018/19 snow collection, in particular two new helmets; the Super Skull SPIN and the Obex SPIN, take center stage with both helmets featuring new technology and POC’s unique SPIN pads, developed to counter the effects of oblique impacts. Other new products and innovations for the 18...

A leader in helmet safety - POC safety innovations and German injunction response

POC is aware that its new and innovative oblique impact technology, SPIN, is being scrutinized and may be subject to a legal injunction in Germany. POC has a long and established reputation around safety and has years of experience developing advanced and award-winning helmets and technologies. SPIN (Shearing Pad INside) is POC’s own patent-pending technology which has been developed by POC’s i...

New Team EF Education First-Drapac powered by Cannondale kit unveiled at Rouleur Classic

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Slipstream Sports formally unveiled the 2018 Team EF Education First – Drapac p/b Cannondale kit at the Rouleur Classic in London on Friday afternoon. Swedish road champion Kim Magnusson donned the race kit, created by apparel, eye and helmet partner POC, on stage alongside Slipstream Sports founder and CEO Jonathan Vaughters, sport director Andreas Klier and POC’s head of sports marketing Sara...

Protection and Performance the centre of POC’s new 2018 cycling apparel collections

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POC has built an international reputation on safety, innovation and design, and ahead of Eurobike 2017, introduces several new updates and categories to its 2018 road and mountain bike apparel collections. Performance and Protection are core components of the new cycling collections with mountain bike apparel also finely tuned to activity specific riders. POC CEO, Jonas Sjögren, said “We are p...

POC introduces new safety and vision technology

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SPIN and Clarity, with new helmet and goggles POC has built an international reputation on safety, innovation and design, and announces several new major innovations for its 2018 bike collection. In particular, SPIN, which is a new, innovative and unique helmet technology created to counter the effects of oblique impacts, and Clarity, which brings a new level of eyewear technology and perfor...

Update (24.08.17) POC position on Swedish athlete, Jenny Rissveds, not attending the World Championships in Cairns, Australia

Update (24.08.17) Adding to POCs statement made on 15.08.17 (see below), POC CEO, Jonas Sjögren, said - “We want nothing more than to see our national athletes compete in the best competitions, be it with or without our kit. We have stated that we would consider all possibilities and avenues to ensure that Jenny Rissved's and other athletes are free to compete at the Championships and we are ...

POC awarded ‘Brand of the Year 2017’

POC, a leading manufacturer of helmets, eyewear, body armor, apparel and accessories has been chosen as the ‘Brand of the year 2017’ by the Bicycle Brand Contest (BBC). The Bicycle Brand Contest, established by the German Design Council, focuses on companies in the bicycle industry and their partners. The winners, which are selected as an acknowledgement of excellent product and communication ...

The grand celebration of endurance

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The Grand Tours of cycling - the three-week races of Italy, France and Spain - have no sporting rivals as feats of endurance. The Tour de France, the oldest and grandest of them all, offers a particularly searching examination of a rider’s physical fitness and mental resilience. Savage climbs, nerve-shredding descents, full bore sprints and timed efforts that require nothing less from a ride...

Pyrenean pain

A double helping of Pyrenean pain awaits the riders in this second week of the 2017 Tour de France. The peloton will endure a 214.5km leg from Pau to Peyragudes on stage 12, via the climbs of the Col de Ares, Col de Menté, and Port de Balès, before a finish at the summit of the Col de Peyresourde. A day later, on stage 13, the riders will encounter a brutal trio of first category c...

The Race of Truth

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The time trial Give everything. Then, when you feel you have nothing left, give a bit more. Unless you cross the finish line in a state of total exhaustion—utterly spent, completely empty, totally drained—you will have failed. The stopwatch will be the first to confirm the bad news. There can be no hiding in the race of truth: welcome to the time trial. Now contrast the demand to extract...

The Tour is the Tour

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[caption id="attachment_3064" align="alignnone" width="584"] Readying himself for his first Tour de France[/caption]It’s a universal truth held by any within cycling that ‘The Tour is the Tour’. While the Giro d’Italia may be the choice of the cognoscenti, and La Vuelta España has in recent years been the most exciting of the three Grand Tours, nothing compares to the scale and status of the T...

GMBN explains helmet choice

The Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN) team ride with POC helmets, and they choose helmets appropriate for their kind of riding. Here they explain the differences between different kinds of helmet, and what makes them suitable for different categories of riding.

The team taking on the 100th Giro d’Italia

[caption id="attachment_3020" align="alignnone" width="584"] Team presentation at the start of the 100th Giro D'Italia[/caption] There is no other race in cycling like the Giro d’Italia. Its three-week duration offers only a passing resemblance to the Grand Tours of France and Spain. In its joy, beauty and lust for life it is as far removed from the spectacle surrounding the Tour de France ...

Hugh Carthy: Learning the tricks of the trade

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The phrase “keeping it real” might have been coined for Hugh Carthy. The 22-year-old Briton deflects complements gracefully, even though his breakthrough season and swift promotion to World Tour team Cannondale-Drapac deserves nothing but praise. Carthy cuts a striking figure, even among the ultra-lean community of professional cyclists. With his buzz cut, earring and laconic demeanour, he...

GMBN visits POC HQ

The Global Mountain Bike Network (GMBN) team ride with POC helmets and eyewear, so to find out more about the products they decided to visit our POC HQ in Stockholm. Their video of POC HQ examines the latest product developments and takes an insider view of what makes a technologically advanced helmet, and how we at POC test MTB equipment on the local trails.

The contradiction

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What will Taylor Phinney’s first season in green hold? To define Taylor Phinney as an athlete would be a mistake. As with life’s more interesting characters, he is a mass of contradictions. He is at once the poster boy for American cycling — the wunderkind offspring of Olympian parents — and defiantly off-message. He is a gifted athlete, but as enthused by self-discovery as he is cycling. ...

POC Lab and a force of nature

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When you meet Claes Hultling for the first time you can’t help but be impressed - it’s not that he has built up one of the best spinal cord centres in the world, or the fact that he has an encyclopaedic memory related to spinal injuries and research, it’s not the fact that he’s managed all this since his own spinal cord accident, which left him paralysed from the chest down, over 30 years ago....

POC finalist in the 11th ISPO BrandNew Awards

POC finalist in the 11th ISPO BrandNew Awards February 6-9 2005, the winners and finalists of the world´s largest start-up competition in the sports industry will be awarded in Munich, Germany. A jury of international sports experts, including industry experts, magazine editors, publishers and retailers have evaluated 158 entries from 21 countries. We are proud to announce that the jury was im...