Illustrator Richard Mitchelson has cartoonified four of BMC’s pro riders in a short film explaining how to dress for any season.
Mitch’s distinctive work will already be familiar to many cycling fans. The Sussex-based Yorkshireman has been cartoonifying the pro peloton for almost 10 years.
This time it’s WorldTour super-team BMC Racing who are getting a cartoon makeover.
Entitled The Road to the Tour de France, the animation takes in a year’s worth of riding and features Olympics gold medallist and Paris-Roubaix winner Greg Van Avermaet, two time Paris-Nice winner and Tour de France 2017 hopeful Richie Porte, Italy's Daniel Oss, and Australian Champion Miles Scotson – or at least their cartoon likenesses anyway.
Rolling through the months and across a range of terrain, from the Italian Dolomites to France’s Côte d'Azur, each season and location is matched with an appropriate outfit for the conditions and time of year.
Italian professional Oss takes to the mountains in autumn, while cartoon Van Avermaet tackles some rainy Flandrian training rides.
Next the cartoon riders pull on their team kit to tackle the Spring Classics before hopping on the bus to the Tour de France, which recently got underway in the real world.
Lessons in layering
Sponsored by Swiss clothing makers Assos, the purpose of the short animation is to teach riders how the brand’s layering system can be used to maximum effect all year-round.
It could also help sartorially confused cyclists decide when best to deploy leg and arm warmers, and when to stick with full length tights and tops.
Despite being based in the US, BMC Racing has a distinctly Swiss flavour running throughout the team, with both bike maker BMC itself and chief clothing sponsor Assos being based there.
The real BMC team, meanwhile, have made a promising start to their Tour de France campaign, with GC hopeful Richie Porte well placed after a strong ride yesterday up La Planche des Belles Filles, and Greg Van Avermaet having featured at the business end of a couple of stages already.