Collection: Velo Poseur

The kit from the worst professional cycling team. Ever.

Strength-sapping sleet, bone-rattling cobbles, furnace-like temperatures on seemingly unendurable climbs: These were the conditions that defined the strong men of professional cycling in their day. Perhaps that is why one rarely hears of the legacy of Team Poseur.

In 1968 the little-known Poseur team toiled in the pro ranks of continental Europe. Sponsored by a small factory in Nancy that made clip-on ties, heel inserts for mens’ shoes and women’s dickies. The team was small, and their budget, meager.

Poseurs were a band of grim-faced grogneurs, an équipe of riders like Oopgegaven, DeBonque, and Barfolini, crafty and determined riders who could find a way to lose more races than they entered. Poseur riders battled the giants of the road in their day. They scarcely earned the respect of their peers in the pro peloton, but did they flinch? Never! The heart of the true Poseur can withstand any insult.

The Poseur era ended when a new co-sponsor, Charlatan, came on board late in the season bringing an influx of francs. But when the promised cheque was lost, accusations flew, and Charlatan withdrew its sponsorship, casting its lot instead with the nascent sport of competitive bodybuilding. Time has not smiled sweetly on this once mighty team. You only find them at the best coffee shops and bakeries, always riding easy, never taking the lead. So now the question is: Do you have what it takes to re-ignite the storied history of Vélo Poseur? You may be Poseur’s last hope.