In a sport like cycling, the fitter you get the longer and more frequent training rides tend to become. As such, it’s easy to forget the importance of recovery in making the performance gains you’re after. LineBreak products assist recovery through compression after exercise, reducing muscle vibration during sport and by helping with temperature regulation whenever they’re in use. For me, they also help to create behavioural changes that improve these benefits further. Not only are they an incentive to get out of sweaty, filthy lycra sooner than ‘normal’, but they also encourage me to stretch for longer and more often – something that’s easy to put off if skinny-legged denim is the first dish on the post-ride menu instead. Fortunately LineBreak’s Women’s Performance Compression Tights also fit underneath my city-girl jeans meaning I can wear the tights for longer and heat my jeans up in winter.
The fabric and construction of the Women’s Tights provides a comfortable feel straight out of the packet. The four-way stretch of the fabric means the tights don’t pull or have uncomfortable hot spots creating a nice, even distribution of pressure. And unlike some tights aimed more at the running market, the waist band is particularly comfortable, even when sitting or bent over the handlebars, making them suitable to a broader range of activities or use at different times of the day (say, sitting down, carbo-loading for the next big race). The legs are longer than expected in the small size, so while they’re a bit loose near the ankles on me, athletes above average in height will be relieved to find a product that takes this into consideration, especially given that baggy tights in a larger size aren’t really an option. The flatlock seams and logo placement are also flattering and add to the high quality, yet understated, appeal of the product.
Thank you to LineBreak for their ongoing support of the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com race team. I know the boys in the team were very grateful for their compression tights while competing in long, tough stage races like the Croc Trophy in 2011. With support like this, I’m worried I might find myself signing up for something similar. At least I’ve got one half of the performance:recovery ratio under my belt. Surely the other part is easy too, right?
Photos: Gaye Camm
Disclaimer: LineBreak are the compression wear sponsor the Subaru-MarathonMTB.com team. We rely on these products to ride well and ride often and wanted to offer a few thoughts in return.