British cyclist breaks internet with massive version of Visma's "alien helmet" as a Halloween costume: "It felt like I had a massive sail on my head"
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The Visma | Lease a Bike's Giro Aerohead II time-trial helmet was mocked a lot on its debut this spring at Tirreno-Adriatico and since then it didn't take long and the aero helmet once again disappeared from races. But with Halloween around the corner, Honor Elliott found an opportunity to give one last blow to the creation.
Just ahead of the Rapha’s Muddy Hell event in Herne Hill, London, Elliott asked herself what's the scariest thing she can think of. The answer came to her quickly: "The state time trial helmets have gotten themselves into," she told Cycling Weekly.
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Together with her boyfriend, Theo Clarke, Elliott sketched out designs, prepped the papier-mâché, and mocked up a giant version of two of the world's top-tier cycling teams' aero helmets - Visma's Giro Aerohead II for Elliott and Kask special worn by INEOS for Clarke. Surprsingly, Elliott rode to a second place in the event.
"I would say it was credit to the aerodynamics, but it wasn’t," she laughed. "It felt like I was wearing a massive sail on my head. If I rode in a straight line, I could feel the wind blowing me from side to side. When I was on the velodrome, people were saying it was wobbling."
"It was so funny, because it wasn’t a windy evening, but I put the helmet on and I could hear wind. I was like, 'What are these massive gusts?' But it was only because I had this huge wind blocker on my head. In terms of dexterity of my limbs, [it was] perfect, I could ride my bike well, but obviously it did slow me down."
When Elliott revealed the helmet for the first time, lining up in it to race, "everyone was staring and pointing," she said. "I felt a little bit awkward, but I knew it was because I had a big helmet on my head. It got a lot of laughs."
"The helmets didn’t win best costume," she added. Instead, the awards went to a rider disguised as Corpse Bride, from the Tim Burton film, and another dressed as a centurion. A fan dressed in Tour de France polka dots won the prize for best spectator costume.
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Ondrej ZhasilCycling Journalist
Ondřej Zhasil is a cycling journalist at CyclingUpToDate and has been part of the team since 2023. He is based in Ostrava, the third-largest city in the Czech Republic, and covers professional cycling across the main UCI competitions, including the Tour de France, the Giro d’Italia, and La Vuelta a España. A key focus of his work is startlist analysis and pre-race coverage, where he examines team selections, rider line-ups, and tactical scenarios ahead of major events.
Alongside WorldTour coverage, Ondřej has developed specific expertise in junior cycling and in racing across East Asia, including competitions in China and Japan. He also maintains a broad working knowledge of other disciplines and levels, including cyclocross, while continuing to expand his understanding of mountain bike racing.
Ondřej holds a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics and Physics, which supports his analytical, data-driven approach to performance and race analysis. In his reporting, he regularly uses ProCyclingStats for results, statistics, and historical context. He places strong emphasis on careful sourcing, editorial accuracy, and updating articles promptly when new, verified information becomes available.
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- Pidcock finished 9th place, 29 minutes down. he is a helluva rider, so gutsy. and he is amazing at all disciplines. but this headline is . . .mij09-11-2026
- I know, watch the video. and listen to her competitors. it was a tricky tacky call at best. WTF is this guy talking about??? my original comment was from the picture it didn't look like anything.mij09-11-2026
- I dunno what you're talking about. you make no sense. MS's competitor and the competitors coach said it was BS. she didn't deviate in a way that relegation should be required. revel LOL. you're so cool, in your own mind.mij09-11-2026
- deviation lol, watch the videomij09-11-2026
- the 'No different than women who follow and discuss celebs through gossip magazines' comment was unfortunately a bit off. didn't you just boast about your principles in the comments section of another article?Ketterechts08-11-2026
- Are you MrMauMau 2.0? Nothing you are saying is really relevant. Vaguely connected, but irrelevant. The conversation is whether Schreiber impeded Brand or not.
Rafionain-Glas08-11-2026 - He is boring
leedorney08-11-2026 - To Twoje przemyślenia te bla, bla :)
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Uwielbiam patrzeć, jak wyjeżdża na czoło peletonu i zaczyna się rzeź...
Dariusz08-11-2026 - Yeah, unreal.
parisbound0008-11-2026
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