Mark Cavendish is best known for his performance eyewear on the bike. He even has his own personalised version of the RadarLock, but the Manx Missile has chosen the end of the racing season to spend some time as the face of Oakley’s street styles.
The latest model is the Milestone, a classically shaped plastic piece whose build is based on construction techniques, resulting in a light, robust and comfortable frame. The day also saw the launch of the Crosslink Pitch, another lightweight, yet durable model which features interchangeable sides.
In his role as an Oakley athlete Cavendish was on hand to talk about his involvement in the development, and wearing of the finished product. Cavendish says he loves working with Oakley on new product and describes the firm as a great bunch of people. ‘You have really arty people through to real nerds. You have got the design and the engineering side,’ he says.
‘It’s easy to think glasses are glasses, but take the Crosslink,’ says Cavendish. He went on to describe how the interchangeable sides meant Crosslink could be adapted for a smart or casual look. He says he used to carry several pairs of spectacles around with him but now he takes sides to interchange. ‘I get quite a buzz off that, I thought the novelty would wear off but changing the sides is almost like changing the glasses’.
When asked about the Milestone by Oakley product manager, Immo Paulsen, Cavendish says it is light yet robust and doesn’t lose its shape. ‘I’m passionate about these things, it’s something to get excited about.’
When asked by Paulsen about his favourite frame, Cavendish chose a cycling-specific piece. ‘It would be my signature RadarLock in black and green. It made me super, super proud,’ he adds.
Early enthusiast
Cavendish is clearly enthusiastic about Oakley and remembers growing up aspiring to wear it. A highlight was getting a pair of Oakley M Frames for his birthday as a boy. ‘I have never wanted anything else,’ he says. ‘I like the brand because it is always trying to do something, always pushing the boundaries. They never just leave it the same, it’s innovative by design.’
In an exclusive interview with Optician, Cavendish describes Oakley as a true partner. ‘It’s been the partner I’ve had the most involvement with in the design of the product. They really listen, both from an engineering standpoint and the design, artistic standpoint, that’s pretty cool to know that they are not just giving products to athletes to use and promote, it’s really listening to see how they can better the products. That’s the big thing, that is a draw for me as an Oakley athlete, how they want to keep progressing and getting new products.’
When it comes to wearing non-sports eyewear Cavendish’s enthusiasm is not diminished. It’s a practicality but also a style choice; ‘to help me see better, but also to look good. On a bicycle it helps with the elements, wind, rain, debris and controls light input, UV. Off the bike I need glasses to see. I want them to be part of my outfit, part of what I am, part of who I am, part of my fashion sense.’ But the practical side is never far away, as he describes spectacles for his ‘astigmatism’. ‘I don’t wear them with clear lenses, I have to wear glasses.’
His choice of style is dependent on mood, he says, one of the reasons he likes the changeable Crosslink. He doesn’t go either for statement or minimalist eyewear all the time. ‘It really depends what I am wearing. That is why the Crosslink is so good you can really change, you can have colourful sides, you can have different shaped sides, you can change it as quickly as that, you know,’ he says motioning with his hands. ’I can take one pair of glasses with a load of sides and depending on how you are feeling just change them like that.’
Contact lenses
A bad experience with contact lenses many years ago means he doesn’t like wearing them because he found they dried up in the wind. In the Beijing Olympics he says a pursuit rider had one of his lenses dry up and the wind got in under his visor which meant he couldn’t see.
Despite the demanding eyewear needs on the bike he says his eye care is left down to his choice. When he goes home he visits his own optician and his eye care is not controlled by his team. Although he has worn spectacles for over 10 years, he wears plano lenses on the bike and opts for the selection of lenses from Oakley. When asked about photochromics as an option he says the light conditions can change too quickly. ‘If we go quickly through a forest there’s not enough time for the lenses to change back.’
Cavendish is clearly a fan of Oakley and says he has worn the product even when it hasn’t been the eyewear supplier to the team he has been riding for. When asked if the peloton would prefer less radical designs for cycling eyewear he looked non-plussed. ‘In any sport you want to look good. Performance eyewear is part of that and it’s all part of the look.’