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France Diary Summer 2026 #18: Things

Thought I’d post about a few things that have been a fixture for me this summer—especially when it comes to being active in a heatwave.

Poc Omne Air MIPS bike helmet
I was of course attracted to this because it is orange. I bought it specifically because my left-in-France bike helmet is really old, sun damaged, and I began to wonder about its efficacy, given its advanced age. So I wanted something decent, but also perhaps with better ventilation for riding in a hot country. I’ve been really happy with the Poc. It fits brilliantly, doesn’t wobble about, feels light on my head, and does indeed provide plenty of ventilation.
I don’t use the “eye garage” for sunglasses, because I need mine to, you know, see. The MIPS feature is supposed to protect against rotational forces in the event of a crash, but obviously I hope never to actually test this. The best I can say about this helmet is that you barely notice you have it on, and I might be wistfully thinking of this when I head out on my bike in the UK, wearing my (prefectly acceptable and fairly new) Bontrager helmet.

Keen Newport H2 sandal
I’ve actually had these sandals just over a year, but whereas last year I mixed and matched between several different pairs of sandals (and walking shoes—it was a wetter summer), these have barely left my feet over the past five weeks.
They are incredibly comfortable. No blisters, even when worn for lengthy walks and all day long. Your feet feel snug but at the same time able to spread as they should in sandals. The elastic “laces” allow you to adjust once and then forget—they’re easy to get on and off. They’re also waterproof and really hard wearing: barely detectable levels of wear on the grippy sole. Unlike my more conventional Geox sandals (with velcro straps) the Keens almost never let stones get in and under your feet. They’ve got some kind of patented “Eco Anti-Odour” insole to stop them getting smelly. This worked really well for about four weeks, but eventually I did have to spray them with anti-odour product. I’ll emphasise again that they’ve been worn more or less all day every day in this hottest of heatwave/drought summers. So it was fairly effective!
There’s no doubt in my mind that when they die, I’m just going to get another pair. Bonus feature: a zebra-stripe tan on your feet.

Upeak Sport Strap for Apple Watch
Apple’s Nike Sports Band has a (*cough*) very similar design to this, but it costs £49, which is laughable. I paid £9.34 for this attractive design with “rainbow/pride” coloured breathing holes.
I was after something comfortable and breathable for the hot weather, which would be relatively easy to clean and resistant to staining. I’ve been pretty happy. I’ve avoided wrist discomfort, itching and irritation, for the most part, and I’ve worn this throughout the summer, on some very hot days, and for very hot bike rides and walks. My one complaint is that it’s a bit fiddly to put on. You push the metal pin through what you hope is the right hole, but when you go to tuck the end of the strap in, the pin sometimes comes out of the hole. So you have to put it in the wrong hole, tuck the end under, then release the pin and push it into the correct, comfortable position. It’s okay, but tricky in the dark.