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assos mille gt hashoogi winter jacket

there have been moans.

and the reason i know there have been moans, is because i am one of those responsible for moaning. the targets of this untrammeled disaffectation, are the spring classics and, more recently, the current european cyclocross season. as with the majority of moans, these are of superficial countenance; there is little, if anything, wrong with the racing or those tasked with participating. more specifically, the problem is with the weather, or rather, the lack of it. for instance, who amongst our seried ranks can recall the last time it rained at paris-roubaix?

the hell of the north gained much of its reputation based on finish-line images of muddied riders with fresh skin only visible where their googles/eyewear had been, during the preceding fraught and cobbled battle. more recently, we have been treated to riders in shorts and short-sleeve jerseys all but invisible midst clouds of dust thrown up by the camera motorbikes, team cars and mavic neutral-service bikes. i daresay, from the point of view of the riders, it's still hell, but for the spectators?

now you know from whence the moaning arises.

and exactly the same is applicable to the most recent cyclocross races, both uci world cup and super prestige events. in my cycling book library in the spare bedroom, there is a hardback entitled 'dirty pictures' featuring a superb array of cyclocross images originating from portland, oregon. the overwhelming memory as the last page is turned, is one of gloopy mud. that, quite frankly, is what we signed up for.

the quizzical part of this conundrum, one that we conveniently manage to ignore, is that while purgatory may be all very well for the pros, it would be much appreciated if none of it was visited upon our goodselves. when sunday morning arises from the gloom of night, it would be really appreciated if that gloom didn't continue to pervade the hours of daylight. but if it does, we'd really like garmentage that doubles as a force-field against the elements. oh, and could it look particularly stylish into the bargain?

though i'm in fear of pronouncing out loud, the name on the left sleeve (hashoogi) lest folks think i have a sneezing cold, the assos mille gt winter jacket looks every bit as if it might fit the bill. effectively a three-layer thermal softshell, i do remain slightly questioning of the swiss company's logic behind painting it predominantly black. according to assos this has "...proven a wise choise to combat dirty winter roads". i'm not altogether sure that's a theory borne out in real life, at least, not this far west, but with a brightly coloured back (red, in this case) and lower arms, its not entirely invisible in crappy weather.

what isn't arguable, is the jacket's eminent fitness for purpose. the fit is the exemplary and legendary assos race-fit, offering a professional look to honed misfits such as yours truly. the outer fabric offers a level of water resistance that was substantially better than i'd expected. even an hour or so into sporadic heavy rain displayed those adorable water baubles on the jacket's surface. also very much in its favour, is a decent level of breathability; no cycle jacket ever seems as breathable as the cyclist inside would demand, but the hashoogi comes pretty darned close.

and i confess, i'd forgotten just how good a high collar can be.

as to the professed warmth on offer (it is a winter-jacket after all), having taken assos' advice and paired it with a long-sleeve base layer the faithless cynic within had me add a thermal gilet underneath. i was scarcely but a few kilometres into the sunday morning ride, when i'd to embarrassingly stop to remove it. and having done so, there was never any question that those flexibly voluminous rear pockets would swallow it whole, along with a mini-pump, a compact digital camera, spare gloves (you can never be too careful - it's a jungle out there) and, even more embarrassingly, a stowaway rain jacket.

on subsequent rides my faith has been restored.

so, while there's very little likelihood of my moaning about the classics and 'cross ending anytime soon (unless the climate changes for the worse) at least when the crap heads in my direction, the shields are up, to use a star trek metaphor. if stylish weather protection is a box on your own list that has yet to be ticked, i may have the very solution.

the assos mille gt hashoogi winter jacket is available in red, blue and black, in sizes ranging from xs to xl plus the 'tir' fit for the larger fellow. retail cost is £215. | assos mille gt winter jacket

tuesday 23 october 2018