Looking for something smart to wear post-ride? Apres Velo has just the thing. By Muriel Reddy.



The new cycling wardrobe star of the moment is the appropriately named Apres Velo. This is a line of cool, irreverent and humorous clothes that are pitched at those who want to make a statement. This is clothing with style and attitude. "We're taking the mickey out of cyclists but in a totally non-offensive way," says Apres Velo founder, Leonard Greis. How else can you describe T-shirts that read 'Pumped', 'Cranky', 'Tour de Latte' and 'People's Republic of Pedallers'?

It may be the newest star in the cycling galaxy but Apres Velo already boasts a cult following, especially in the US, where Greis says the company has struggled to meet the demand. He's also negotiating with distributors in South Africa and Europe to introduce the range to those continents.

Apres Velo is the realisation of Greis' dream to capture the essence of "what the cult of cycling means to mad keen followers of the sport". It was his designer, Sarina Tomchin, a nonconformist artist who believes that rules were meant to broken, "smashed or bent outta shape", that translated his dream into a cutting-edge range of clothing. Both Greis and Tomchin claim to be mad about bikes.

"We don't take ourselves seriously at all," he says. "We look at the more humorous side of cycling and inject a gutsy take on it. We have also tried to create a very aged, vintage and distressed look to our T-shirts. We also apply a very harsh silicone wash to the garments so that at the end of the day, they feel worn but are brand new."

As he sees it, the line is catering to a growing niche in the marketplace. "Cycling is one of the strongest growth areas in sport across the world," he says. "And there's not a lot for them to wear when they hop off their bikes. Apres Velo fills that void."

To check out their clothing please go to their store here. Mention Cycling-Inform when placing an order on their online store and get a 10% discount.