http://www.prendas.co.uk/images/full/20080505_whisperplus_euskal.jpg

I wonder if they are more effective than the standard type or what the deal is. Apparently they are called "Catlike Whisper Plus." There is something kind of disgusting about them...maybe it's my trypophobia or just their name.

no, you're right. they're ugly. when viewed from head on, it looks like someone shot the helmet with a giant shotgun or something. swiss cheese, etc.

I kinda like 'em. I wonder if the holes through and in the back allow better airflow?

It has plenty of vents but no chanelling - so the cooling effect is minimal.

They are unusual helmets.

They're manufactured in Spain, but not in the Basque region... not sure how they feel about that (gotta know some local politics). A few years ago a Basque racer was going to win the Spanish national championship race but he sat up at the line because he didn't want to wear the jersey... it was a bold statement.

Catlike also had a recall of one helmet type a few years ago for failing the CPSC safety test.

They can't be as bad as the helmets that a team was using several years ago. I can't seem to find a picture of it, but I remember seeing them during the Giro. They were yellow and they had a visor in the rear, I guess to keep the sun off one's neck? They were pretty geeky looking.

Everyone knows those helmets are for grating cheese.