The world is filled with mysteries. How the pyramids were built; if the Loch Ness monster is real; if the Bermuda triangle really should be avoided; and if Stonehenge is just an incredibly impressive sun dial being just a few.

Less discussed, perhaps, but no less mysterious, is why female cyclists have had to endure a century or more of less than optimal cycling apparel. Things have improved, of course, but the sense of positive evolution is completely undermined as soon as you go out riding in a mixed group.

A nature stop, to deal with that most basic human need and go to the toilet, turns into a bizarre ritual where almost all the female riders run far into the woods for the required discretion to almost fully undress, whilst male riders simply stand on the road side, next to their bike, lean over (a bit) and pee.

If ever there was an illustration that we are nowhere near peak equality, watching a mixed road ride is it.

When you look through the annals of cycling history, names like Alfonsina Strada, Eileen Sheridan, and Beryl Burton stand out as clearly as do those of Henri Desgrange, Maurice Garin and Fausto Coppi. They serve to illustrate that cycling has a rich and varied heritage with male and female cyclists.

Female riding clearly is not new, and riders like Lael Wilcox, Fredrika Ek or Marianne Vos are inspiring hordes of modern-day fans with their incredible racing and feats of endurance. Why, therefore, have female riders had to put up with concepts and designs that are, for the most part, adaptations of male apparel?







The Women’s Ultimate VPDS Bib Short features an overlapping suspender constructed from exceptionally stretchy mesh fabric that make it possible to pull down the bib shorts for essential toilet breaks without needing to take off a jersey.

Fed up with this position and motivated by our Swedish values and belief in equality across all spheres of life, we decided to start redressing this imbalance. Those women’s bib shorts that have previously been developed have often featured good design, comfort or fit but they have never combined unsurpassed chamois technology, aerodynamically advanced compression fabrics, all combined with the ultimate speed, flexibility and comfort for essential mid-ride/race toilet breaks.

Female riders need bibs that perform for racing, have aero advantages, and class-leading comfort, as well as functionality and speed on nature stops: so we decided to make them: the W’s Ultimate VPDS Bib Shorts.

Make no mistake: there is a long, long way still to go but female riders will no longer need to compromise on performance or take their jersey off just to pee. They can just sit down, equally.

End.

Designed by women cyclists for women cyclists: the W’s Ultimate VPDS Bib Shorts provide enhanced function both during your ride and during stops for essential toilet breaks.

