It was a simple time. Team kit was understated, with black shorts and a few colored panels on the jersey. Race Leader and National Championship jerseys were plain, and often even lacking in the name of the sponsor. National Championship jerseys in particular were a matter of national pride more than sponsorship; it was an honor to fly the colors of your country in a jersey that payed homage not to the team’s branding, but to that of the nation’s flag. The jersey was worn with standard team kit, often in garish contrast to the colors of the sponsor. It was gloriously Casually Deliberate.
Then, as more money came to be at stake and the sponsors became ever more loosely tied to Cycling’s history, it started to change. First with the shorts, which were modified to match the jersey, either with different accent colors or with an entirely matched design. Then teams started discouraging their riders from winning national championships and, if left no choice in the matter, they chose a design which matched the standard team kit design as closely as possible in order to maximize sponsorship investment.
The first time I noticed this trend was an account from Roger Hammond, the reigning British Road Champion, who had just signed with Discovery Channel. It was a matter of pride for him, of course, to wear the jersey but his new sponsor was not so keen and certainly held no special respect for the history of his jersey. After all, a national championship jersey has very little room on it for Discovery’s branding, and that meant a smaller return on their investment in the rider as a billboard. If I remember correctly, he was strongly discouraged – if not barred – from entering the race.
The Tricolore jersey is my favorite of any jersey available. If I were a Pro, I would carry a Dutch and not American license for no other reason than for the chance to race in the red, white, and blue stripes of the Dutch flag as opposed to the vertical stripes and star-spangled design of the American flag (however cool that jersey is as well).
To declare this In Memoriam is perhaps premature, but we are moving inexorably away from this glorious jumper; shorts are too often matched, bicycles too often repainted. I have nothing against maximizing a sponsor’s investment, but I worry over the consequences. I worry for the loss of standard team shorts, standard team kit, and the tricolore jersey. Will all teams follow Team Radiosanschelck?
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Call me strange but i actually like how Leopard Trek worked the designs into the jerseys last year. Minale Design did good on that, I would've loved to get my hands on a swiss champion kit from last year. Now it's too late and i'll have to satisfy my need with the radioshack version..... At least it's all red.
And the Moldavian national champion jersey from the leopard continental team is something i must have too.
Granted, they don't rule the rider's look like they used to but i love the subtle differences more than i probably could love a great big flag on their backs.
I think Garmin and BMC actually do a good job at reping national colors.
I'm so with you on this, Frank. What with textile technology these days, I'm half expecting to see a laser hair removal sponsor sublimate a forest of back hair on someone's national championship jersey. Not to sound too down on capitalism, but the dissolving of borders in favor of multi-national corporations is sometimes a shame. I can't get excited about rooting for IBM over Siemens at the Olympics.
BTW, did anyone else catch the bitchin' board on top of the car in the background? There's a fan with the right priorities.
Oh come on, that's a bit glass half empty isn't it... look at Gerrans last week, basically in the Australian team kit.
And in recent years we've had Hincapie's Captain America kit which was a classic.
The Belgian kit has looked great on Gilbert and Boonen through several variations and teams and the Italian tricolore is generally pretty well adapted as is the French.
Just because a few teams/countries can't get it right...
@ChrisO
Not at all, but I did applaud Gerrans on his spectacularly beautiful kit, didn't I? A bit quick to throw stones on that one, I think.
I never liked Hincapie's recent kits, but his kit in...'97 was it...was spot on. A cool jersey, just not as class as the tricolore.
The Italian jersey has gone wonky with the three horizontal stripes lately, but the French and Belgian kits worn by Tommy V and Gilbert are, in my opinion, a classic example of over-matching. Especially Gilbert's kit from last season. This season, I find it a shame his bibs aren't just the red team issue bibs as the black grippers would be a great accent.
@Jeff in PetroMetro
I love it!!
Its hard to balance between corporations making money (which they should) and retaining our traditions. Things have to change and thats fine and the money coming in also does a lot of good, but that doesn't mean we can't appreciate things the way they were.
@Cyber
Uh...Rule 16?
two of my favorite jerseys (i have france and belgium):
they've even got three pockets with button-closures. love 'em. i only wish we were having a real spring, and that it were cool enough out to wear them.
Some serious patriotism: Bastille Day bicentennial attack by Fignon and Mottet. Systeme U with the tricolor bar tape, with some trumpeting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjgOFXcItWE
It's not that I disagree only that I have, for the most part enjoyed the evolution of kit. I was lucky enough to have a really fine wool team jersey back in the pre Lycra days and there was/is nothing like it. But Lycra is so easy and the graffics took off so that I don't look back. So there are some designs that are awful but when I look at those pre 90's kits they do seem simple and from a bygone era. Ok so we have left behind Cipo's zebra, skinned muscle anatomy etc. era but to me for the most part the peloton looks good and the national colors have become an insider add on.