No Gods No Masters - Smart Cycling Apparel for Women

SEPTEMBER FEELS A LITTLE LIKE JANUARY

New routines, new schedules, everyone suddenly knows what day of the week it is again.

Maybe you’ve got kids heading back to school, maybe work is about to get busy again, or maybe you’re just enjoying the strange relief of having a calendar that makes sense.

Either way, find yourself an hour and go for a ride.

GRAVEL IS NOT A PERSONALITY TEST

You don't have to be the fastest. You don't have to be the most confident descender. You don't have to know exactly what to do when the road disappears into loose stones.

You just have to be willing to learn and we'll take care of the rest in Tuscany.

NOT (YET) A GRAVEL PERSON?

Good.

You don't need to arrive at this month's United We Are Gravel Camp already knowing how to corner loose gravel, descend confidently or understand why everyone suddenly has opinions about tyre width.

That's what September is for.

Four days of riding, learning, eating, laughing and figuring it out together.

September 24–29, Tuscany.

GRAVEL CORNERS

Our tip for this coming weekend if you encounter any loose surfaces: let the bike move a little. The instinct is to tense up and fight for control. Try the opposite.

Relax your grip. Look where you want to go. Keep your weight balanced and let the bike find its way underneath you.

Light hands. Loose body. More fun.

TYRE PRESSURE PSI

Our tip for this coming weekend if you’re doing a long asphalt climb followed by high-alpine gravel: Start with full-on road tyre pressure, then you can let a little air out just as the surface is about the change.

Not half the tyre. Not until it feels like a marshmallow. Just enough to give yourself a little more grip and comfort on the loose stuff.

And, speaking from experience, stop before your rims start becoming part of the terrain.

THE FINAL WEEK OF AUGUST

There is still plenty of summer left, so go a little further. Take the train somewhere with your bike. Ride until the map looks unfamiliar. Stop for lunch somewhere you didn't plan.

September can wait.

Mostly.

HOT WEATHER, HONEST KIT.

Throughout August, everything gets tested. Sweat marks, salt lines, very strong opinions about fabrics.

That's why our jerseys are made from breathable Italian fabrics and our Performance Bib Shorts are designed (and proven) to stay comfortable when the ride gets long, hot and sweaty.

Sweat is inevitable. Looking good is optional.

We'd prefer both.

THE EXTRA SUMMER LAYER

On long rides, there’s always that moment when the wind turns just enough that you wish you’d packed one more thing. That’s where a gilet earns its place.

It takes the edge off the wind on descents, keeps you comfortable on fast sections, and disappears into a pocket when the sun comes back.

Not a complicated piece, just a small layer that makes a big difference when the weather can’t quite decide what it’s doing.

We have those too and it goes by the name Air Gilet.

THE EARLY START

There is a very specific kind of optimism involved in setting your alarm for 5:45 to ride your bike. At 5:46, it's a terrible idea. By 6:30, you're smug about it.

And by 9:00, when the heat is already building, you remember the real reason you got up early in the first place: to beat it.

And in that moment, there’s only one winner.

WHAT A RACE.

Nine days of racing, attacks, comebacks, heartbreak, and some very serious climbing. The Tour de France Femmes avec Zwift gave us one hell of an August so far.

More importantly, we hope somewhere along the way a few more girls looked at the screen and thought: I want to do that.