POC

POC is a Swedish manufacturer founded in 2004 that specialises in cycling helmets and eyewear, plus a range of winter sports apparel.

History

With a mission to ‘protect lives and reduce the consequences of accidents for athletes and anyone inspired to be one’, POC has been creating safety-inspired cycling helmets and eyewear since it was first founded in 2004.

Alongside the main company, POC LAB was also founded on the same day. It houses the company’s tech and research team who draw on the latest scientific, medical and technological fields to design POC’s products. It even has an advisory board consisting of market-leading experts from across the various fields.

With this foundation, POC started creating its safety-orientated products and released its first full cycling range in 2008 consisting of the Cortex and Receptor Flow helmets. In the same year the company also teamed up with Mips whose technology is widely used throughout the sport and is considered the premium level of helmet safety.

Many more partnerships have followed, including with Volvo and ZEISS who helped to develop POC’s Clarity lens technology which is still used across its range of eyewear.

Alongside its products, POC also recently launched Project Blueprint, a long-term commitment by the brand to lower its carbon footprint in line with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Did you know?

Pro cycling

Current sponsorships:

• EF Education-EasyPost
• EF Education-TIBCO-SVB

Highlights

• 2008 was a big year for POC as it launched its first cycling collection, including the Cortex and Receptor Flow helmets, plus it started its partnership with Mips. MIPS technology (multi-directional impact protection system) is designed to reduce the rotational forces in an accident and is still considered to be one of the best helmet safety technologies currently available.
• POC first entered the WorldTour peloton in 2014 when it became helmet and eyewear sponsor for EF Education-EasyPost, then Garmin Sharp.
• The Swedish company didn’t have to wait long for a Tour de France win as Ramūnas Navardauskas used a POC helmet on route to victory on stage 19 of the 2014 race.
• Expanding its safety technology, POC partnered with twICEme®allowed in 2019 to add an NFC medical ID chip to certain helmets. This can be used to identify a rider.
• In 2022, POC released the Omne Eternal helmet which features solar cell technology. This charges the integrated rear light on helmets without needing to plug them into a charger.