In Velo Veritas Guide to Style Confidence

Admittedly: There are still a few weeks, months until the 13th edition of In Velo Veritas. Knowing that the most seasoned experts began searching for and collecting the materials celebrated during and with this classic road bike tour in the Weinviertel years, even decades ago, the remaining time until June 14, 2025, still seems remarkably short.
And the closer the event approaches, the more pressing the question becomes, aside from which bike one intends to ride (tip for all newcomers: there are specialized shops and addresses where such items can be purchased or rented), namely: “What should I wear for this?”

After all, “period-appropriate clothing” is “appreciated” according to the IVV regulations, which can be roughly translated as “welcome but not mandatory.” Because apart from the rules regarding the bikes allowed for the ride – in short: built in 1987/88 or earlier, or authentic reproductions, gear shifters on the downtube, no combined brake-shift levers on the handlebars, no modern clip-in pedals – the organizers are truly not strict and are keen to ensure a relaxed, yet sporty weekend for everyone.
So, anyone who prefers to showcase the latest aero outfit, colorful striped socks, or a completely ordinary, plain cycling kit on one of the three optional routes should feel free to do so. However, those who want to do themselves and the event a favor should embrace the retro trend, extending it to clothing and accessories, and enjoy even more of the atmosphere and flair on-site.

So far, so good. But … what exactly fits the era? How does one achieve an authentic, period-appropriate appearance at In Velo Veritas & Co.?
We passed this question on to an illustrious group of renowned collectors and true classic enthusiasts – and just in time before the relevant Vienna flea markets Ciao! Primavera at the U-Bahn arch Zufferbrücke from April 4-6 and at Rathausplatz as part of the Argus Bike Festival on April 12/13 (second tip for retro novices: those were shopping tips).

What the Viennese grandees Michael Zappe and Werner Schuster, as well as the Tulln specialist Franz Autrieth, have in common: In addition to an impressive number of steel racing bikes, mostly in admirable quality or exclusivity, old pictures, documents, and memorabilia, they also own a considerable collection of reproduced or even original jerseys. How many exactly is hard to say, because: „If wives are present in the same room, the inventory immediately drops to less than half,“ says flea market dealer René Winkler, in whose workshop in Hietzing we all gathered.
By the way, the meeting was initiated by the In Velo Veritas magazine, which will soon be available at selected cycling hotspots or handed out as a gift during the ride in June, and this year also tells the story of the bicycle through its associated fashion.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the cyclist of the world and renown, mostly French, preferred to dress in slim-fitting wool sweaters. The gentlemen Garin, Cornet, Trousselier, Crupelandt, Pélissier, Ganna, and the other early winners of the Tour de France, Paris-Roubaix, Paris-Brest-Paris, or Giro d’Italia, wore solo what, in the pioneer days of Josef Fischer, was still hidden under suit-like combinations of long stockings and knee breeches with sturdy jackets.
With long sleeves and turtlenecks offering some protection against wind and cold on the seemingly endless stages, the usual color spectrum – muted browns and grays or plain black – provided a certain visual shield against the omnipresent road dust and dirt. Exceptions, like the striped, colorful tops of Hippolyte Aucouturier or René Pottier, proved the rule.

Manufacturer names, as seen on the reproduction of a sweater from the 1910s above, were still a rarity during that heroic era and, if present, were more likely applied flexibly with patches. This was not least because the Tour de France, unlike the Giro d’Italia, remained, at the insistence of its director Henri Desgrange, a strictly individual test until World War I, where teams (and mutual assistance within them – pacemaking, material exchanges …) were officially prohibited.
What was seen all the more frequently on and over the jerseys: spare tires slung over the shoulder, fabric caps, and aviator goggles.
And to give some perspective on the endurance and capabilities of the heroes of that time: The bikes of the era had heavy tubular tires, only a single gear, and were mostly still fixed-gear, as freewheels like Fichtel & Sachs’ very successful Torpedo hub were just becoming ready for mass production. For braking, plunger brakes were commonly used.

World-politically grey years are also lean years for cycling. But in between and afterwards, the wheel turned ever faster, as Max Bulla, especially for Austria, proved with his day in yellow in 1931 and his Tour de Suisse debut victory in 1933.
Rim brakes and more sprockets also made their debut, the quick-release skewer was invented, and from 1932 onwards, the derailleur revolutionized gear shifting: goodbye rear wheel removal! However, an eternal drama remained the wide tubular tires glued onto wooden rims.
As for the fashion of those days, our Opel replica cheats a bit: short stand-up collars were not yet in vogue; rather, jerseys were buttoned at the front (instead of, as initially, on the side at the shoulder) and polo collars replaced roll collars. Large, buttoned chest pockets adorned the front, where provisions and essentials for the usual monster distances were stashed. Additional storage space in the style of today's design – open at the top and divided into several compartments – was added to the back. The mostly white-edged chest band established itself as the basic design pattern, color choices became bolder, and the now embroidered jersey advertising became more prominent.

It was the era of the first big budgets and factory teams, hierarchically organized and dictated by material technology – such as Automoto in France, Legnano in Italy, Mifa, Diamant (for which – before his greatest successes – Max Bulla also rode), or indeed Opel in Germany, where six-day race record holder Richard Huschke was among those employed. Incidentally, Michael Zappe wears a replica of Huschke’s professional attire when he rides his Opel bike – if you’ve got it, flaunt it! Huschke's record of 4,544.2 kilometers, set in 1924 in Berlin with Frank Krupkat and still standing to this day, is not at risk during these outings.
It was also the era of the first great Italians: Ottavio Bottecchia, who won the Tour de France in 1924 and 1925 with Automoto, but was violently killed two years later – struck with a rock by a farmer who caught him stealing grapes; Legnano star Alfredo Binda, triple world champion (including at the debut of this competition in 1927) and five-time Giro winner, who in 1930, at the urging of the organizer and in exchange for the full winner’s prize, refrained from another Giro appearance to prevent the public’s anticipated disinterest due to his dominance; or, also among the ever-iconic green jerseys, Gino Bartali, who between his five Grand Tour victories (1936-38, 1946, 1948) became a savior to likely hundreds. Disguised as training rides, he smuggled fake passports for Jews hidden in his bike frame through the country.

Before we delve into the undisputed glory days of road cycling, a word about classic jersey materials and their preservation.
An unwritten vintage law states that one should tread the catwalk of velophilia preferably in wool. Even if it scratches. Even if, when soaked with rain or sweat, it hangs leaden on the shoulders. Even if it shrinks a little more with every wash until Homo athleticus begins to doubt his ideal figure.

Pure synthetic fibers—at first still anything but breathable or aerodynamically cut, but at least incredibly lightweight—did not revolutionize the world of cycling jerseys until the 1980s. And according to IVV regulations, that's where the line is drawn between classic and beautiful. Before that, natural fibers of various origins or sheep breeds reigned supreme, and on the track or as underwear material, silk was also popular; later, wool-look blends with varying proportions of materials like Dralon or Rhovyl were introduced.
The only problem is that moth larvae are particularly fond of wool and devour such fabrics faster than you can blink. As countermeasures, our experts recommend: moth paper, lavender soap, cedarwood. And storing each jersey individually in sealable plastic bags.

In addition to wool as a material, white chest rings, minimalist, mostly two-tone designs, and distinctive lettering are among the typical insignias of past cycling eras. And these features manage to trigger nostalgia even in those not involved in the theme, which is certainly due not only to the relatively long history of competitive cycling but also to the enduring commitment of sponsors. These sponsors often determined the nearly unchanged appearance of jerseys for what seemed like an eternity.
Peugeot's legendary rally stripe, for example, had an uninterrupted 24 seasons to burn itself into people's memories, while the French brand's original blue-yellow design was found on the uniforms of their factory riders for 40 years prior. Similarly, Legnano relied on its signature poison green-red as its house color for just as long. Bianchi's blue-and-white presence in the peloton endured for more than seven decades starting in 1905, occasionally paired with changing co-sponsors like Dunlop, Pirelli, Ursus, or Campagnolo.
The Italian salami manufacturer Molteni, meanwhile, was active from 1958 to 1976 in simple, brown-orange elegance and recorded 663 victories during this time—primarily thanks to Eddy Merckx. A year later and for three years longer, Flandria, the more successful brand of the Claeys bicycle factory divided by a brotherly feud, dressed numerous talents in striking red-and-white.

The other Coppi original, the yellow one, dates back to the last season of the five-time Giro winner before his fatal bout with malaria in 1960.
The master of all classes handed it over, amused and ultimately impressed by his appearance, to the Viennese amateur Alois Kasal, after he had mingled with the stars during a race and ridden alongside them.
And "Loisl," who was once the Viennese mountain champion and, at 95 years old today, still the best friend of the now 102-year-old Tour of Austria participant Kurt Enekel, passed it on to "cycling pope" Michael Zappe.

From 1950s Italy, further represented here by the Giro's characteristic leader's jersey, the Maglia Rosa, we move to the Alpine Republic.
In this country, the first editions of the Tour of Austria acted like a collective aphrodisiac for the suddenly tiny nation, still divided into occupation zones. In 1949, crowds lined the streets from Riederberg to Vienna's Rathausplatz to cheer on the inaugural winner, Richard Menapace, who at the time had not yet even been naturalized.
And even in the following years, up into the 1980s, the Tour of Austria sparked true waves of enthusiasm; entire school classes would gather along the roadside to cheer on the riders. Perhaps this is one reason why the names of former winners and "Glockner kings" are still spoken with reverence to this day.

The 1st Vienna Six-Day Race in 1952 on the cycling track in Prater attracted only minimal public interest in comparison. The turnout did not even justify – as is usually the case for Six-Day events – a continuous program.
However, those who came to watch could easily keep track of which team was leading or losing, thanks to the delicately crafted jerseys in striking color-blocking. After all, the program booklet also included daily scoring tables for note-taking, along with precise assignments of riders and jersey colors.

And while we’re in Vienna: The beautiful jersey of the RC Hernals, founded in 1953, features a constructive finesse. Internal support bands, sewn into the shoulders and pocket edges, were designed to keep the highly stretchable wool in shape and the back panel in place when the three storage pockets were heavily loaded.

Staying in Austria and coldly ignoring the probably greatest cyclist of all time, Eddy Merckx, and his well-known Faema and Molteni teams, Franz 'Ferry' Dusika deserves mention at the latest. As an outstanding track cyclist of the interwar period, the later businessman and manager with a concealed Nazi past used his contacts, among other things, to establish the Dusika Youth Tour in 1968. This tour, which became the most significant stage race in Europe for 17- and 18-year-olds, subsequently served as a springboard to the big stage for numerous talents who, in previous years, had pressed their noses against the window of Dusika's renowned bike shop.
What stands out about the associated jersey: It already features a front zipper instead of a button row and a stand-up collar instead of a polo collar, but still retains chest pockets.

The same applies to the original jersey of the Union Peterquelle from the early 1960s. Judging by the number of repairs, the mustard-yellow top of this amateur club, which later recruited many local stars, including Wolfgang Steinmayr (legendary winner of the Tour of Austria in 1972, 73, 75, and 76), must have been particularly cherished by its previous owner.
Incidentally, the involvement of the Styrian mineral water brand also reveals for Austria what became common practice internationally from the 1960s onwards: As the importance of bicycles as a means of transportation and, consequently, the financial power of the bicycle industry gradually declined, non-industry sponsors stepped in and prominently displayed their beverages, coffee machines, razors, pharmaceuticals, and much more on the jerseys of major, legendary racing teams.

Dipping even deeper into the paint pot than Peterquelle, Cycles Mercier, a constant sponsor of the "eternal second" Raymond Poulidor, has always been doing so abroad. Despite 14 attempts, the contemporary of Jacques Anquetil first and then Eddy Merckx was denied a Tour victory. However, the purple-yellow 'Poupou' on his pink work equipment undoubtedly became a crowd favorite.
Speaking of equipment: The bikes of the 1960s were either strictly French (Simplex, Huret) or Italian (Campagnolo) equipped and had changed significantly: aluminum rims, (diagonal) parallelogram derailleurs, ten gears, toe-clip pedals, plastic water bottles instead of metal, and bottles moved from the handlebars to the frame triangle. Wrapped torsos in tires were a thing of the past, and for the first time, crash rings appeared on the heads of racers.

In a small way, also with the Viennese amateur club RC Grüner Veltliner. Their wine glass on the chest of the still quite classic long-sleeve jersey is still embroidered rather than flocked. However, it still reflects – especially when occasionally combined with green velvet blazers (!) – a great, almost Italian attention to detail.
RCGV fits with In Velo Veritas like a pot to its lid, because: Founded by former professionals, the members, when not converting national championships into club duels for a double bottle of "Grü W" per man, enjoyed visits to wine taverns during their rides. And presumably with a cycling cap, and maybe even already in Lycra shorts, as trousers made of this extremely elastic and durable synthetic material developed by DuPont gained rapid popularity from the mid-1970s.

How the flagship riders of the team Ijsboerke, founded in 1973, handled their "lower wear" back then is unknown. As for their "upper wear," the Belgian ice cream manufacturer and outfitter Gios preferred continuity over innovation with its iconic blue design.
This kit, very popular in vintage circles, was worn by Dietrich "Didi" Thurau, among others. The German, who was Vice World Champion in 1977 behind Francesco Moser and wore the yellow jersey for 15 days at the Tour de France, briefly brought enormous popularity to cycling in his home country. He also delivered his employer in the following two years two classics victories, a Tour stage win, and another silver medal at the World Championships.

And how is all this now at In Velo Veritas? There, the newly produced and online-purchasable wool replicas of the current retro trend ride alongside the Banesto lookalike found in the box, the polka-dot socks pedal next to the floral shirt. Occasional knickerbockers meet jerseys turned into Mondrian patterns or Manner bars, club jerseys from days gone by ride shoulder to shoulder with the most modern bikewear. And above all, the boldly curved or clearly defined lettering of former and current manufacturers and sponsors stands out: Molteni, Guerra, Kas, Flandria, BIC, Wiel’s, Atala …
More than authenticity, it seems that variety is in demand, as the classic ride, alongside the genuine “old metal” enthusiasts, has at least as many fans from circles far less familiar with the core theme, who simply want to enjoy a beautiful day on the bike and indulge in both visual and actual casualness.

At the same time, the classic cycling tour through the Weinviertel reveals true textile treasures every year: The yellow jersey of the youngest ever Tour of Austria winner from 1981, owned by Gerhard Zadrobilek, or the 7-Eleven jersey of the same rider, with which he clinched his first World Cup victory in San Sebastian in 1989. A remarkable number of Puch jerseys – after all, we are in Austria – in various styles and designs, most legendary being those made of wool with red-white-red striped sleeves, like the ones originally worn by four-time Glockner King and three-time Tour of Austria winner Rudi Mitteregger. The oversized national team jersey of Austrian champion Hanni Hack with its red rear pockets, the curved "Austria" lettering, and the national coat of arms on the chest. Or the similarly designed but significantly more modern-cut version worn by Olympian Andreas Langl.
By the way, if the newly designed IVV Merino jersey this year reminds you of those national team jerseys: Correct, the 1980s editions of the same served as inspiration!
So there’s a lot packed into the cycling shorts and jerseys worn year after year at In Velo Veritas. A bit of carnival, a touch of admiration, a pinch of historicism, and time and again even genuine originality. But above all: plenty of zest for life!