16 S H O R T S M E N ' S
THE UNLIMITED TOUR DE FRANCE GRAVEL SHORT — This short was initially made specifically in response to a request from Chris Froome to help protect him through the first dangerous stages of the Tour de France. He wanted something to reduce road rash in case of a crash on those stages when everyone wants to be at the front and crashes are frequent. We went back to the old trick, familiar to track riders, of wearing two pairs of shorts, knowing that Lycra® sliding on Lycra® is the best way to prevent or reduce road rash on your hip. In this case we’ve used our Vortex fabric from the Free Bibshort on the outside, which we know is already extremely durable in everything from sliding across the pavement to dog bites (yes, really!). Then we added an internal layer of a stretch woven fabric reinforced with a ripstop grid made from Dyneema®, the same miracle yarn used in rock climbing ropes, reinforcement in sails for the America’s Cup, and in bulletproof vests. This will help prevent the inner layer from ripping in many situations. We put this dual-layer construction over the side panel, which gives generous coverage for the hip and thigh in the event of a crash. While originally created to help Tour de France riders survive the first few stages of the race better, this short may come in handy when you’re riding on loose gravel or in your local criterium, or even if you just happen to fall off frequently and always slide on your hip like our favorite GCN presenter. Beyond the protective aspect of this short, we’ve constructed it using the components and construction from our Free Aero Race 4 Bibshort, our top race bibshort that also gives remarkable comfort.