The first interview on Bikefulness

Today, I am beyond excited to present the very first interview on Bikefulness, and who better to start with than Tom Cools, the passionate force behind Çois Cycling Legacy, a brand deeply rooted in the rich cycling heritage of Flanders, Belgium.

Speaking with Tom, it becomes clear that family is one of the foundational pillars of his life. It defines him, and one can feel the unconditional respect and love he holds for his roots and the legacy they have left in the world of cycling. There is no doubt that he sees them as a source of inspiration and motivation in his own life and career. There is a recognition of the unbreakable bond that ties him to his past and has shaped his journey with Çois Cycling Legacy.

What inspired you to start your company for cycling apparel and accessories?

"I was born in a cycling family. My grandmother (mother’s mother) had a company called Dr. Mann (pharma company) and she started a professional cycling team in 1958.

My grandfather (father’s father) used to be a pro cyclist (he was in the 1936 Berlin Olympics), a pacer on track for f.e. Eddy Merckx and became the sports director of my grandmother’s pro team later. With that team they won the world cup for teams twice and they ended second place in the Tour de France with Herman Van Springel. I was born and raised with the passion for cycling. In 2016 I started an Instagram account @bestcyclingkits because I wanted to select the most beautiful kit around. That account grew very rapidly and it brought me the idea to start designing my own products".

How did the name Çois Cycling Legacy come about?

"The name is short for François, which was my grandfather’s name. I thought it would be a good idea to link his story to the brand. And although it isn’t the easiest to pronounce for an international audience, it was the only right thing to do. I think the legacy is very important in everything we do. The pro cycling team of my family is how my parents met. So it’s very important to me as it’s my own background and history. I lost a 3 year old brother when I was 11 and I lost my mum when I was 13. So I think the brand has always been somewhere inside of me".

What was the first product you designed?

"We started in 2017 with only a few designs for T-shirts and a sweater.

Our Thank God it’s Rideday design was the first one. I love playing with words a lot and I still think this quote is very cool. We made it the tagline of the brand and I’m still happy with it. The funny thing is that back in those days I was in contact with Brian Holm (former pro rider and

Directeur Sportif at Quickstep). He’s by far the most stylish guy in pro cycling. When I was about to release the first products, he invited me at the team hotel when they were in Belgium to show him the products. I was quite nervous, but he immediately liked our designs. After all those years, I’m still in contact with him".

"Most inspiration comes when I try the least. The funny thing is, that the best ideas always come on bike rides"

You sell a lot of stylish cycling apparel for both on and off the bike, but do you ride bikes yourself?

"Yes, although I was born and raised in a cycling family, I never got into pro cycling myself. My father and uncle were very good cyclists back in the days too. They won a lot of races and my uncle made it to his father’s pro team as well. I’ve always been cycling on roadbikes for fun, while I was playing soccer in competition. After I quit playing soccer (knee surgery) I started cycling more and more. I practice both roadbike and gravel and I really enjoy solo rides as they help to clear my head from time to time. It’s my kind of meditation. But I also like challenges, like a derny race or the Cannibale (200 km ride with 4500meters altitude). And I like training on Zwift on a regular basis".

Where do you find inspiration for your designs?

"Inspiration can be in the smallest things in everyday life.

Most inspiration comes when I try the least. The funny thing is that the best ideas always come on bike rides. Connecting with inspirational people always helps too. 

For example: when I started working with Mitch Docker for his Life in the Peloton collection. He’s an inspiring guy and we became friends through our collaboration".

What's the most unexpected source of inspiration you've ever had for a new product or design?

"I think for me it’s music. Music has always been very important and sometimes song lyrics inspire me for a design. For example Chain my Heart came up after hearing a song:)

On the other hand, working with artists like Posterlad for the design of a cycling jersey has been quite unexpected".

Could you highlight some of your most popular products and what makes them unique?

"Our most popular products always have a link with Flanders and the rich cycling history here. I think people feel that this connection is genuine. They read the story behind the brand and they know we do this because of our passion. We’re not a fashion brand making cycling designs because they are popular at the moment".

How do you ensure that labor conditions and social responsibility are handled correctly in the production of your clothing?

"We always want to be as close to production as possible. So we always make sure our products have the right ethical labels. Next to that we pay a lot of attention to quality. If you don’t care about those things, it would be possible to start producing cheaper but we wouldn’t be true to ourselves and our audience if we would do that".

Can you share any exciting new initiatives or projects you are working on?

"We are working on some new projects we can’t tell anything about ;)

An exciting recent project is our team sponsoring for AG Insurance Soudal woman’s pro cycling team. Because of the fact that the races have always been an important part of my family history, it’s very nice to be so close to the peloton. The feedback of the riders is amazing as they absolutely love our products. They are always very happy to take part in our photoshoots,... I try to go to the races to say hello at the start and to cheer for the riders of the team and for other riders I have good contact with".

Does your company engage with the local cycling community, such as local cycling groups or initiatives that you supports or collaborates with?

"Yes, we try to partner with groups and initiatives as much as we can.

On the other hand, collaborations should always feel right. We will never partner or connect if the connection doesn’t feel right. One of our partnerships is with Smugglers Path, a very cool gravel initiative. They organise amazing gravel weekends".

What are your biggest wishes or goals for the future with Çois Cycling?

"At the moment we are focussing on further international growth. We are looking for resellers and sales agents (or distributors) in some countries and we hope to grow the brand even more. Next to that, I like doing the right things. F.e. we just released Fight Cancer cycling socks. All proceeds of those socks will be given to Kom op tegen Kanker, a Belgian initiative that helps people who have cancer or that are recovering from it.

Next to being successful and growing the brand, I like keep on doing the right social things as well".

"It meant a lot for me personally because De Ronde is one of the most special races in the world"

I see that Çois Cycling  has become an official partner for "De Ronde van Vlaanderen.” What does it mean for you and your company, and how did it come about?

"We’ve been partner of De Ronde van Vlaanderen for three consecutive years. It meant a lot for me personally because De Ronde is one of the most special races in the world. My grandfather has been in several editions as a sports director of the Mann-Grundig pro team. For the company it was very nice, because we reached a wider audience. this kind of exposure was very good for us. I had been in contact with some people working for Flanders Classics and I contacted them with a creative idea which they almost immediately liked. After that, the collaboration took off quite fast".

What's a good day at the office for you?

"I always like to keep my inbox as clean as possible. I can get really happy when the list of emails I should reply is getting smaller (or empty). The best days are those where you get really creative. sometimes you’re thinking about a design for weeks and you can’t find the right angle or breakthrough. And sometimes the right idea just pops up. That can make me really happy. I can get really happy by good feedback of others, for example customers feedback or feedback of our resellers. Small things, but because of the passion they are really important".

Who have you been most proud of wearing your clothing? Besides me, of course :)

"You! and let me think… ;)

Brian Holm

Mitch Docker

Alberto Bettiol

Eric Min, CEO of Zwift, Lotte Kopecky and even Mathieu van der Poel have some of our products".

"The Ag Insurance team riders and staff make me proud too. And especially Ashleigh Moolman. She’s a pro cycling legend and an amazing person. Ashleigh loves the brand and that makes me really happy. She has the Rocacorba hotel in Girona and she’s the driving force behind the Rocacorba Community. She’s also doing a lot of effort for the black women’s cycling community in her home country South Africa (we were involved in that project too). Our products are now available in Ashleigh’s shop Rocacorba atelier in Girona. Working with inspiring people like Ash makes me really happy".

"Strade Bianche doesn’t have the rich history like the other two but I love the combination of the gravel sections and the amazing finish"

What is your favorite cycling race, and why?

"I think it’s difficult to choose between three:

De Ronde van Vlaanderen

Paris Roubaix

Strade Bianche".

"De Ronde because it’s Flanders and it will always be a mythical race. Although it would be cool if the Muur van Geraardsbergen would be in it again.

Every other year De Ronde starts in my hometown Antwerp and that even makes it more special".

"Roubaix because it’s the most chaotic one. After the race every rider has 10 stories about that day. It’s the most unfair race, you have to be very lucky. That makes it beautiful".

"And the Strade Bianche doesn’t have the rich history like the other two but I love the combination of the gravel sections and the amazing finish".

If you could go for a ride with any famous person, living or dead, who would it be, and why?

"It would be 2 persons:

My father Eddy and my uncle Milo.

My dad crashed during a bike ride in a big group a few years ago and after that he was never able to ride bikes again. The last 20 years he was riding 100+ km every day. It would make me happy to see him on the bike again.

My uncle used to be the one I went on training with as a kid. He has always been someone I looked up to very much. Unfortunately he died at age 57.

They are not famous but hey…".

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