A cold head can ruin a ride and this is especially apparent when wearing a well ventilated helmet, which just compounds the problem. What you need then is a light and thin but warm hat to take the edge off.

I’ve just returned from Belgium, where I was able to put Bioracer’s Wind Cleaver Visor hat, a light and slim hat designed to fit underneath a helmet, to test.

The Stretch Fabric, despite being extremely thin between the fingers, worked remarkably well at keeping my head and ears warm on a bitterly cold ride in Belgium last weekend, on a day that dawned with a thick layer of snow roads and fields around Oudenaarde.

One size fits all with the fabric stretchy enough to pull snugly into place, fitting neatly between the head and helmet. No adjustment of my helmets straps was needed to make space for the hat. There’s a built-in peak and low sides to cover the ears.

A Belgium-based company should be a dab hand at making cycle clothing that performs, and the Wind Cleaver Visor hat from Bioracer is a great example of that. All under-helmet hats I have tried in the past have always been an unhappy compromise, but this hat was unnoticeable during my first couple of test rides apart from the fact my head was warm, but the fabric is breathable enough to avoid overheating.

£25 from at www.bioracer.com and www.onimpex.co.uk