Review: Angeline Ultralight Jersey from Café du Cycliste

We’ll come back to the fish in a minute, count on it – but, leaving aside Café du Cycliste’s quirky spirit animal, the French brand have come up with a beautiful summer jersey here.

Cafe du Cycliste have been around for years now – we tested their women’s Violette merino jersey way back in 2014 – yet France’s top marque seems to fly under the radar in the UK.

New for Spring/Summer 2026, the Angeline is a race-cut, lightweight jersey designed to excel when the mercury rises. This did make testing it in an Irish springtime a little challenging, but happily a family holiday near Bordeaux early in July provided the perfect conditions.

The coast near Arcachon has since gone up in flames, but in the two weeks we spent there the vineyards baked in a barely tolerable 30-35 degrees. Angeline is made for this. The breathable, lightweight Italian-milled fabric allows for ample ventilation, aided by mesh side panels that kept me cool as I explored forest trails and parched riverbeds criss-crossing an overgrown sand quarry near the Garonne (thank you Komoot for the typically exciting route).

This is a summer jersey par excellence: the 85g/m2 material is not only lightweight, but incredibly soft against the skin. The body of the jersey and the sleeves are tailored to sit close to the skin. It’s optimised for aerodynamics – this is every bit a race-ready piece of kit – and also handy for dodging stray brambles if you venture off road. Although one rogue spike strip did sadly pull a thread on my left sleeve; maybe the Angeline’s gossamer material is best saved for road adventures.

On the storage front, the rear of the jersey features the usual three-pocket array plus a bonus invisible zipped pocket for your keys or card. The pockets are elasticated and highly secure; in fact, my only minor gripe is that they’re a little too secure – or perhaps just a touch on the small side. I typically keep my phone in a side pocket, sometimes fishing it out to grab a photo while riding, but in this jersey only the slightly larger central pocket allows for this; the two side pockets are just too tight to wrestle a phone out of while riding. On the plus side, there’s no chance of your phone, pump, gels etc bouncing out on a gravel descent.

Other features of note include a slight collar to the neckline, which I raised an eyebrow at initially but it simply fades into the background in use. In fact, this is possibly the most comfortable cycling jersey I’ve ever worn. Now back in Ireland, where summer temperatures tend to hover around a more pleasant 20 degrees, the Angeline is still the first jersey I reach for.

I’m also a fan of the design, which helps of course. I tested the Supersonic / Horizon Grey version but, fittingly given Cafe du Cycliste’s Nice home, Angeline also comes in “Riviera Blue or “Dark Sea” options. The darker colourway manages the trick of being both understated yet interesting thanks to the cosmic contrast print. It reflects something of a sea change in the design of Cafe du Cycliste’s current collection – less of the tricolour pinstripes of recent years, with a greater emphasis on gradients and graphics – and I really like it. It’s less overtly Gallic, more inter-galactic – which can only broaden its appeal across the cycling universe.

And then there’s the fish. Adorning the chest of the jersey, Cafe du Cycliste’s flying fish motif prompted some cafe stop discussion. How to interpret it? A framed print at our French holiday home reminded us that “A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle”; which may be true, but I don’t think that’s what Cafe du Cycliste had in mind. So I looked it up. 

If anyone asks, you can tell them: “the flying fish is emblematic not only of our roots on the Côte d’Azur but also our view of the wider world. Not limited to one discipline, sport or activity and not restricted to a particular type of landscape or terrain, the essence is to go anywhere and see everything.”

So now you know. And if you want to go anywhere and see everything while wearing an exceptionally comfortable, lightweight and aero cycling jersey, set aside some holiday money for Angeline. It comes with a premium price tag, but it’s worth every centime.

Cafe du Cycliste Angeline Men’s Ultralight Jersey – £175 from www.cafeducycliste.com