Cycling Caps or Casquettes!

I've recently rediscovered my love for cycling caps, or casquettes as they're called in French. Since the introduction of compulsory helmet wearing in the peloton, you only see cycling caps worn under helmets or not at all, though fortunately they are still worn by some riders when out of the saddle. They serve a whole variety of obvious functions: protection from the sun, rain, heat, cold, sweat absorption, and so on. But more importantly I think they look pretty cool, regardless of the fact that most, no, all of my non-cycling friends and family disagree with me. Here's a look at my collection, minus the Cime de la Bonette one I picked up in Jausiers:

Clockwise from top left : Australian Institute
of Sport, US Postal Service, Lampre, Mapei, Xacobeo
Galicia, AG2R and ONCE in the middle.

I've noticed that they've become a bit of a fashion item among some circles too, particularly the hordes of fixie riders, cycle couriers and East London cyclists. I'm all for it, and I'm definitely going to keep adding to my collection. They're a great way of showing your support for a team without having to splash out on a jersey. My preferred way of wearing them is peak turned up, slightly to the side.