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Cento Exclusive: Portland Cycling Cap Featuring the St. John's Bridge

Exclusive to Cento Cycling, The Portland Cycling Cap was designed by our team in Portland, Oregon and made in Italy by Apis. The Portland cap's design is an homage to the classic 'Brooklyn' Cap worn by racers on the professional Italian team sponsored by Brooklyn Chewing Gum from 1970-1977. 

Brooklyn Cycling Cap Blue   Brooklyn Cycling Team Roger de Vlaeminck

Then nearly two decades later, iconic filmmaker Spike Lee made Brooklyn cap memorable as Mars Blackman in the Nike commercial series with Michael Jordan for his signature shoe, the Air Jordan.

 

The Design

 

 

Replacing 'Brooklyn' for 'Portland' across the top and underside of the cap bill, Cento also swapped the Brooklyn Bridge for our own unmistakable piece of gothic architecture, St. John's Bridge in North Portland. Portland's tallest bridge with two 400-foot-tall (120 m) towers, was completed in 1931 prior to San Fransisco's Golden Gate Bridge. At 2,067 feet (630 m) long, the St. John's bridge spans over the Willamette River and Cathedral Park on the east bank, which is named for the gothic cathedral-type arches that support the bridge from below.

 

St. John's Bridge Portland Oregon - Lyn Toplinka

 

Racing Stripes

The colored bands across the top of the cap - blue, white, and green - also reflect the colors of the Cascadian region of the Pacific Northwest. The same colors are used in a flag designed by Portland native Alexander Baretich, in 1994. 

Baretich described his flag for Cascadia Now with the following: 

“The blue represents the moisture rich sky above & Pacific ocean along with the Salish Sea, lakes & other inland waters. Our home is of continuous cascading waters flowing from our sky & mountains back to the Pacific. For Cascadia is a “land of falling water” from the Pacific to the western slopes of the Rockies where water cycles as vapor & then rain & snow to run through creek & river back to the Pacific.
The white is for the snow & clouds which are the catalyst of water changing from one state of matter to another. From liquid into vapor (mist & clouds) & from vapor into solid (ice & snow) & melting back to liquid or vapor.
The green is the forests & fields which too carries life giving water through our biodiverse land. The lone standing Douglas Fir symbolizes endurance, defiance & resilience against fire, flood, catastrophic change & even against the anthropocentric Man. All these symbols of color & icon come together to symbolize what being Cascadian is all about."

 

The Fit

Portland is a city of inclusivity, so with elastic in the center back, this cap comes in one size which fits most adult head sizes between 58-61cm or 23-24 inches in circumference. The cycling cap fabric is a breathable and flexible 65% Polyester / 35% Cotton blend. Get your's today while supplies last