Poc has weighed into the 2025 helmet wars with a lighter and even more vented version of its Cytal model that it says has been “specially optimised for heat management and minimal weight – making it ideal for climbers and riders in hot conditions”. The launch comes at a fascinating time in this year’s Tour de France when it will be worn by EF Education-EasyPost’s Ben Healy, who is arguably the most exciting rider in the race having won stage six with a daring lone breakaway and taken over the yellow jersey after stage 10.
Healy is an accomplished equipment strategist: for his stage win he used the Poc Procen Air, the Swedish brand’s radical aero helmet that first made headlines when Alberto Bettiol used it for his solo victory at Milan-Torino last year. For his ride into yellow, a mountainous day in the Massif Central with almost 4,500 metres of climbing, he used the Cytal Carbon, also an aero helmet but with bigger vents than the Procen Air. If he’s to hold onto yellow for any length of time before being enveloped by the Pogačar-Vingegaard showdown, he will need to continue to optimise his setup as fastidiously as ever. The Poc Cytal Lite promises to be the most appropriate headgear for those upcoming stages that include Mont Ventoux. According to Poc, the new helmet’s airflow system is designed for speeds between 20-30kph, which are more typical during mountain climbs. However, the brand claims, its cooling performance remains effective at both lower and higher speeds, thanks to “aerodynamic innovations drawn from Poc’s air capture and linear airflow approach used in previous Cytal and Ventral models”
It is widely understood that power drops off significantly as an athlete’s core temperature rises. In Poc’s press release it includes a quotation from EF Education-EasyPost’s head of performance, Peter Schep: “We know the importance of ventilation and cooling and the difference it makes in human performance. The focus for many years has been aerodynamics, and now, alongside it, comes heat management. Having a helmet that excels in weight savings and cooling is an obvious advantage. We spent a lot of time working with Poc’s engineers to fine-tune the details, and we – and the riders – are really positive with the results.”
Poc emphasises that although the Cytal Lite weighs under 200 grams in a size M, it is still structurally strong (and obviously conforms to the EN1078 safety standard) and its primary function is still protection. It features a lightweight EPS liner which Poc says optimises low weight and crash protection. There’s no Mips anti-rotation system, with the outer polycarbonate shell instead “precisely developed to cover the liner and strike the ideal balance of weight saving, protection and durability”.
For a weight comparison, the Cytal Carbon weighs a claimed 250g while the Procen Air weighs 350g. The Giro Aries Spherical and the Eclipse Pro, as worn by Visma-Lease a Bike, both weigh 270g. Met’s Manta and Trenta 3K Carbon – UAE Team Emirates-XRG’s helmets – weigh 235 and 220 grams respectively.
Most pro teams have two road helmets – aero and vented – and a time trial model at their disposal. It’s relatively unusual to have three road helmets and a TT helmet, as EF Education now do, but it’s becoming clear that helmets have reached a point where they can now supply more aero gains and/or weight savings than bikes can, and this explains why we’re seeing so many new helmets offering more performance advantages than ever.
The Poc Cytal Lite is priced at £320/ €350/$400 – for all the information check Poc’s website.
