The Inflammatory Issue of Jersey Design

The height of fashion?

In the absence of any cycling to talk about, many fans find themselves scrapping the barrel looking for something to talk about through the long winter months. A subject that seems to crop up time and time again is the issue of team kit or more specifically the design of team jerseys.

Naturally, this is a very subjective issue and opinions on designs are very much a matter of personal taste. If my memory is correct, this time last year Cycling Weekly did a feature on the 2011 jerseys, giving each a rating out of ten. I’m not going to do this. This is a blog about cycling not about fashion.

However there does seem to be a trend in recent years towards less outrageous jerseys to what we may have seen in the 1980s and 1990s. The fact that this trend is criticised by many shows the conservatism that permeates the mind of many fans of the sport. Not that this is a bad thing of course, merely a reflection of the importance of history and tradition that makes cycling such a unique sport.

Another timeless classic

However, the fact is that with the demise of HTC-Highroad, now more than ever, sponsors dominate the agendas of professional teams. It is clear that in the current economic situation, especially in Europe and North America, teams must do everything they can to cling onto those  who provide financial backing. For this reason sponsors must dominate the design of the jersey in order to publicise the company as much as possible.

Perhaps the best example of this was the design of the Team Sky jersey. Initially the team wanted the word ‘Sky’ across the front of the jersey to be made up of a collage of images from the individual rider’s past that were important to his cycling career. However the sponsor stepped in as it this would obscure the logo.

So while some may see it as a shame that we have moved away from more outlandish jerseys to corporate designs, it is merely a sign of the times. Private sponsorship is what keeps professional cycling going and a ‘boring’ jersey design is often the best way to achieve publicity.