GOREWEAR Distance Jersey Review

When it comes to riding long distances, it commonly involves starting early in the morning and riding into the heat of the day. When you’re starting in the mountains (like me), those late-summer mornings can be crisp. The GOREWEAR Distance Jersey aims to be that one jersey that you can put on in the morning and wear throughout the day. It’s not a summer-specific jersey, but it’s been my consistent choice for road, gravel and mountain biking since it arrived.

GOREWEAR Distance Jersey Features:

• Ergonomically-shaped neckline
• Longer sleeve length with raw cut cuffs
• Three bellowed rear pockets with zippered sleeve
• Dropped tail with reflective elements
• Folded and glued front hem
• Elastic rear hem with silicone grip
• Full zip with semi-locking slider
• Fabric: 86% Polyamide (recycled), 14% Elastane
• MSRP: $150

Going the distance?

The GOREWEAR Distance Jersey arrived in the middle of the summer — just after testing two lightweight jerseys (Velocio Concept SE Jersey and Pactimo Summit Aero Mesh Jersey). While those two jerseys are fantastic for the warmest days, the Distance Jersey is made to be a touch more luxurious and comfortable across the entire day.

Slipping it on, the fabric feels amazing next-to-skin. The form-fitting design hugs my body and also flattens out some of the less-flattering parts of my dad bod. I do love the luxe feel of this jersey and the single-color design ensures it will be in style for years to come. I’ve been testing the “scrub blue” color, which, now that I realize it, does resemble the ubiquitous color of hospital scrubs. Thankfully, I haven’t been to the hospital to compare, but it bears an uncanny resemblance. The Distance Jersey offers an outstanding fit and is right on target for what I’d expect from GOREWEAR.

I do notice that the three, standard-sized pockets are placed a little high on the back. Their placement does cause just a slight extra reach in order to access the openings in the saddle, but it’s not terrible. The pockets can hold a good amount of stuff and the tautness of the fabric ensures that they don’t bounce around — even on the roughest terrain. While it’s always nice to have a separate zippered sleeve, it’s even better if there’s a water-resistant layer to protect the contents. Additionally, don’t expect to access items in that sleeve while in the saddle because it requires two-hands to operate. Pulling on the zipper yields no movement either up or down until I can also hold the jersey in place.

Gratefully, the Distance Jersey’s fabric does a great job of odor control. I can wear it for several rides before a washing is mandatory. This is in spite of it not offering a ton of airflow. Admittedly, the GOREWEAR Distance Jersey isn’t as breathable as I would expect. Compared to my favorite mesh jerseys, this one might as well be a windbreaker. Of course, it does allow airflow, but I became quite familiar with the front zipper to add critical ventilation on long climbs or hard efforts.

I did wear the jersey both with and without a summer base layer (Pactimo Summit SL). I feel like it helped even out the moisture transfer, but I did end up wearing the jersey alone most of the time. As you can imagine, this particular fabric does hold a lot of moisture. After a humid morning ride, and particularly while indoor training, the fabric can become quite saturated. Once it’s like that, the jersey pockets become frumpy and are really difficult to access as items can neither be easily retrieved or placed inside. A mesh material doesn’t usually exhibit that kind of behavior.

Interestingly, the front hem is folded-over and glued. After extended use and several washings, that glue has completely given up the ghost and the folded hem is really no longer. I would recommend GOREWEAR just go with a laser-cut edge and not fold it over. In spite of the front hem not having any silicone grip, it does stay put pretty well with both the GOREWEAR Ultimate Bib Shorts+ and the Ornot Cargo Bibs.

I’ll add that the initial few inches of the front zipper can be challenging to zip. It starts, but needs continued care to finally get going. Lastly, the fabric does a bang-up job of cleaning up after messy rides. Both grease and dirt stains have come out very well in the wash.

Fit: I’m 5’11” and 175 lbs, wearing the size medium. I feel it’s the perfect fit for me.

Buy Now: Available from GOREWEAR