No, it’s not a small museum of cycling or a whimsical musing on the philosophy of bikes, a musette is a cycling bag that contains food and drink for riders to refuel during races. Far less elegantly, Brits call a musette a “bonk bag” because refuelling stops them bonking – running out of energy – mid-race.
If you’ve ever seen a soigneur standing by the roadside in the Tour de France handing out canvas bags with a shoulder strap and wondered what it was, that’s the musette. It’s a very low-tech piece of cycling kit – no fastenings, moisture-wicking or aerodynamic fabrics to see here. But musettes are nonetheless special as they’re part of cycling lore and an item that’s exclusive to racing.