Le Col Women’s Hors Categorie Long Sleeve Jersey

The Le Col Women's Hors Categorie Long Sleeve Jersey is surprisingly warm considering its low bulk. It's incredibly easy to layer with, and when milder weather hits, wearing this by itself is a delight thanks to its supersoft inner liner.

This thermal jersey has a 56% polyamide, 25% polyester, and 9% elastane mix. It consists of a stretchy outer and an inner fleece lining that is oh-so-comfy and can definitely be worn without a baselayer.

It has a close fit that hugs the shape of my body well without any baggy areas, and there's a good length to the main body that is held securely in place with its silicone hemline gripper.

The slim sleeves are a great width, but I found they come up slightly short. This meant I had to use gloves with a fairly long cuff to avoid the dreaded bare skin gap. At the end of each sleeve, there's a folded elastic cuff. It is designed to be low profile but it is not very stretchy and, with this, I found it very tight to get over my wrists. Once on, it sits nice and flush, but the join of the cuff at the side is bulky and irritated my skin – the threads here have also started to come loose.

The thermal jersey provides surprising warmth considering the thinness of the material used, weighing in at just 255g in a size small.

Given these qualities, it serves as a very versatile garment – it can be used by itself or as a mid-layer. On chillier rides, I could happily slip a baselayer underneath, then on days when the wind ramped up or rain was on the agenda, pulling on a close-fitting winter jacket on top wasn't a problem either.

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At the rear are three pockets, with the one on the right also including a concealed fourth zipped pocket for valuables; this is also waterproof. Down the middle of the centre pocket is a decent reflective strip that runs from top to bottom.

Simple but classy in looks, embroidered logos are also subtly included. I had the navy/cobalt on test but there's also a black option with cerise (pink-ish) highlights.

And then there's the price. At £165, this is a very, very expensive jersey, even for one that is thermal. The Gore C3 Thermo Jersey (Jamie tested the men's C5 Thermo last year), for example, is £99.99 and will cover you for a similar range of temperatures – and according to Jamie it offers decent windproofing too – while Sportful's Bodyfit Pro Thermal Jersey is £100. Or, if you can carry it off, Fat Lad At The Back's Fearless Fabulous Female thermal jersey is made from a soft touch, super-stretchy fabric and costs £69.99.

> Read more road.cc reviews of women’s cycling jerseys here

Overall, it is useful to have a long sleeve jersey that works well with other layering systems but is also smart enough it hold its own on milder days. For a low-bulk jersey this fabric is ideal, but it's a shame that the sleeves are on the short side and the cuff design could be improved. Given the price, perfection was expected, and it falls short.

Verdict

Snug performance-cut jersey that is impressively low bulk, but expensive – and watch the sleeves