Sportful Flanders It is one of those technical garments that have contributed to the evolution of the category. Fiandre 2 (different from the Light version), together with a few others, was and still is a sort of game changer, for technical performance and also for everything concerning fitting, aesthetic impact and image of the modern cyclist.
This is the second generation and integrates the new membrane Polartec AirCore, a jacket categorized as wintry, in our opinion fully usable even in those cold/humid autumnal situationsLet's see what it's about and our considerations.
The second generation
This jacket was created and developed to meet the needs of a purely winter wearer. The range of uses for this extremely technical, yet very versatile, garment is it stands between minus 5 and plus 5 degrees. The integration of the Polartec AirCore membrane increases breathability, protection from cold wind and the possibility of use the same jacket when work intensities increase. Not only that, because it is from also consider the perceived temperature. A further addition that allows the new Sportful jacket to be used during the early hours of the morning and possibly close to dusk, in autumn, as in our case, combining it with a classic summer kit.
The jacket is a real shield, protects from cold and humid air, keeps you warm and allows you to better manage the humidity that inevitably builds up during exercise. It is not compressible, precisely because it is conceived as a winter garment that must remain worn. It has a regular fit, which is also synonymous with comfort and the possibility of taking advantage of a sort of "onion layering" of garments. Even when you start to sweat a lot, but the cold outside invites you to keep the zipper closed, the jacket does not have a baggy effect, allowing air to circulate between the fabric and the body in order to maintain optimal and adequate thermoregulation.
A jacket with roomy pockets
A simple detail? In our opinion, not. Today's clothes must be functional from every point of view and in every particular, because everyone pedals a lot regardless of the season and in any situation. It goes without saying that the pockets must be large enough to contain everything you need, even prolonged activities and they must be easy to reach with your hands.
The Flanders 2 comes with deep pockets, with a elastic fabric which expands easily, but does not sag downwards. The inside of the pockets is always made with Polartec AirCore, to avoid accumulating steam and maintain a high degree of transport of humidity towards the outside. It also has a elastic cuff which helps to stop objects. In fact AirCore is an active protection and functional for variable conditions, water-repellent and windproof, but highly breathable and air permeable (its secret in terms of maximum effectiveness).
The best for pros too'
Federico Mele, Marketing Manager of Sportful and passionate practitioner, first user of the garments developed by Valcismon Manufacturing, he says: «Our new Flanders 2 will be part of the equipment of professional athletes in 2026 and it is one of the top of the range of what we consider the pro line. It is a extremely technical boss top-of-the-line, developed right alongside professionals.
«The integration of the Polartec membrane is certainly functional to the performance of the product, but It is also the result of research aimed at eliminating the use of PFAS, polyfluoroacrylic substances. Furthermore, AirCore – continues Mele – is the fruit of a close collaboration between Manifattura Valcismon (which also includes Castelli) and Polartec and it will be our exclusive for the next 3 years in the cycling sector. I would like to underline that Fiandre 2 is a very technical garment that requires a wash dedicated to sportswear, to maintain all the functionality and usability characteristics unchanged even in the long term".
In conclusion
Sportful Fiandre 2 is a sort of winter garment, we like to define it as protective and healthy, definitive. It can be fully exploited with just thermal underwear, or in conditions where the weather opens the doors to winter, but the sun warms during the central hours of the day and the summer kit is perfectly wearable/usable. Fiandre 2 is not as compressible as the Light version, always keeping in mind that precisely Flanders 2 was not created as a mid-season garment. It has a significant list price: 249,90 is not a small amount, but as previously written its quality and technical peculiarities are by no means secondary.
And then, Fiandre 2 is one of those items that you can use even once you get off the bike, perhaps during a coffee break or a moment of refreshment and the skin is damp. It keeps you warm, creates a sort of internal microclimate between the garment and the skin and at the same time allows the body not to cool down suddenly, this means that the body adapts gradually and it does not undergo cooling.
