Tech behind the two stripes: Protective racewear

Cycling clothing and protection seemed to be two different worlds until very recently, when we (Team DSM) became the first professional cycling team to integrate protective fabrics into our race kit.

Crashes are an inevitable part of our sport, as are the wounds and abrasions that come with them. That wound recovery has impact on the optimal recovery between races or stages, and precious energy is wasted that can really make the difference out on the road.

“The idea came in the mid 2010s when the team explored the idea of how they could minimise the risk of injuries and energy consumption for recovery after crashes during Grand Tours”, explained Team DSM R&D expert Piet Rooijakkers. “We worked with DSM already in the early years of this project, and in time we could finally integrate a protective fiber called Dyneema into the bib shorts. This was a great step and one we are really proud of.”

A quick analysis of the technical possibilities soon showed the team’s experts that it was not feasible to then integrate these protective fabrics in more types of specific high-performance race wear at speed, considering other key performance aspects (aerodynamics, lightweight, stretch, breathable) of race clothing for use at the highest level of elite sports.

Team DSM Textile Technologies Scientist Tina Brückner explained why: “Using Dyneema fibers in textiles is a challenge since it’s not suited for most textile processes. It is a unique material that enables protection in clothing in a crash, but it is very stiff, cannot be coloured, it is cut-resistant. The combination of different materials (elastic and printable) and the exact way of creating the fabrics is the secret on how to achieve the desired properties in the kit.”

“It’s also important to know the process of making textiles: threads are made from fibers, sheets are made out of thread, and panels are cut out of sheets. To get Dyneema fibers into sheets, it first needs to be twined into the thread, then later during the weaving, threads of other materials are added just to have the balance. It’s a complex process!”

So, what next? The team made the decision to step away from a traditional commercial model to faster integrate protective materials into more items of their race wear and it was the world’s most premium brand Nalini, who partnered with the team to work on the project. This means that our in-house R&D, Aerodynamics, and Textile Technologies Engineer specialists now work together with Nalini’s state-of-the-art MOA Lab. This ensures that the development of a wider range of specific high-performance race wear can be accelerated and at the beginning of last year, another huge step was made as the team launched its own high performance athletic race wear.

Amazing news for the team! But to make this happen, some challenges had to be solved.

“It was a really challenging process to integrate the Dyneema fibers in such a high-performance kit. We basically had to reinvent every step in the production process of making professional racewear and come up with new solutions working with our new materials. The process has been adapted in all aspects from thread composition to the final seams in the kit”, Brückner explains.