{"id":2419,"date":"2013-06-27T14:33:41","date_gmt":"2013-06-27T14:33:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/crankpunk.com\/?p=2419"},"modified":"2013-06-27T14:36:29","modified_gmt":"2013-06-27T14:36:29","slug":"best-and-worst-tour-kits-of-all-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2013\/06\/27\/best-and-worst-tour-kits-of-all-time\/","title":{"rendered":"best and worst Tour kits of all time"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cSon, you\u2019ve done it. The call came through while you were out \u2013 you got a World Tour contract!\u201d \u201cNo! You mean it? Which team?!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAg2r.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c\u2026Oh\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

Yup. That\u2019s right lad. You\u2019ve made the big time, amazing, but, at the same time humiliating. You\u2019re going to have to wear one of the dullest top pro jerseys ever, and, if that wasn\u2019t bad enough, brown shorts.<\/p>\n

\"ag2rjersey-new\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Well, I suppose if you have a \u2018bad peach\u2019 like Greg LeMond did in the 1986 Tour de France, brown shorts might just come in handy.<\/p>\n

LeMond, stuck near the back of the bunch with a tummy in turmoil, turned to a teammate and said, \u201cPass me your hat.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat do you want my hat for?\u201d asked the teammate, naturally enough.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlease, just pass me the goddamn hat!\u201d barked LeMond, then proceeded to shove said hat down the back of his shorts and take an almighty dump into it.<\/p>\n

As they go, it wasn\u2019t the best makeshift loo ever and Greg rode the rest of the stage with a wide area of space afforded to him, thanks to the streaks down the back of his legs and the flies hovering overhead.<\/p>\n

\"a<\/a>
a shitty hat<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But apart from that type of a situation, I can\u2019t imagine there\u2019s a great deal of excitement pulling on the Ag2r kit.<\/p>\n

Next up in the Tour this year we have Lampre-Merida. Designed by the colour blind? Few love it, most don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve embraced the recent flourish of fluoro on the fashionista catwalks recently maybe you do, but the combo of livid pink, blue and green looks more designed to stun opponents than win any design awards.<\/p>\n

Then we have Astana. Kazakhstan is a hard nation, where men are men and mullets are de rigeur for those in vogue. How such a tough nation with a surprising production line of handy and hardened cyclists chose that blue and yellow for a national flag is a wonder.<\/p>\n

\"Screen<\/a><\/p>\n

Lance was probably more worried about wearing that kit on his comeback than any biological passport.<\/p>\n

Sojasun got a wildcard entry to the 2013 Tour, which is a great achievement, but their kit looks like it was robbed from an Irish national kit circa 1988. Can\u2019t see that one flying off the shelves anytime soon.<\/p>\n

Bad kits from the past? Marco Pantani\u2019s Mercatone UNO kit was pretty hard on the eyes, reminiscent of 1970s wallpaper. Pantani, aided by copious amounts of EPO, romped to his Tour win in that kit but there are rumors he just wanted to get to the finish line as fast as possible to change out of his gear.<\/p>\n

Castorama in \u201994 had a kit designed to look like a pair of overalls and achieved the effect with a scary efficiency. As you can see, Laurent Brochard loved the thing, and he\u2019s credited with influencing Kazakh riders to this day.<\/p>\n

\"yes...<\/a>
yes… REALLY!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Onto the good, let\u2019s look at this year\u2019s Tour kits and see if we can find any winners.<\/p>\n

Sky\u2019s kit is pretty cool but it has taken on the look of a bit of a Death Star uniform of late, such is the merciless slaughtering of opponents by the English team. That, and the fact that it is all black almost means \u2018cool\u2019 but not much \u2018flair\u2019, essential in any top notch kit in my opinion.<\/p>\n

Omega Pharma\u2019s kit looks much better in real life than on TV so that gets a nod, but again, slightly conservative.<\/p>\n

Radioshack? Better last year.<\/p>\n

Garmin-Sharp? Argyle? No thanks, this is cycling, not golf, whatever they all say.<\/p>\n

The one kit I could actually wear is that of the brand new kids on the block \u2013 well, kind of new. Belkin.<\/p>\n

I know, it looks a bit weird at first but there are some echoes there to the great jerseys of old. It\u2019s simple yet rather cool, if you ask me.<\/p>\n

I like the font, dig that there aren\u2019t five different sponsor names on there, and though it is green I could get over that. Not too shabby.<\/p>\n

\"belkin-team-blanco-cycling-jersey\"<\/a><\/p>\n

However, to get to the truly great Tour de France jerseys you have to go further back.<\/p>\n

Eddy Merckx\u2019s Molteni jersey would have to be first for a look. Jeez, what a kit. Merino wool, classic lettering, burnt orange upper and lower with a black stripe. Now that\u2019s a jersey.<\/p>\n

Just ahead I\u2019d plump for Jacque Anquetil\u2019s St Raphael jersey \u2013 not his trade team jersey but the actual yellow jersey they made for him. Just supercool, the best yellow ever.<\/p>\n

\"courtsey<\/a>
get the frig OUTTA HERE that is so cool, shame he was a child abuser though<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But in the top spot in my opinion is the La Vie Claire kit of the mid 80s. A work of art, literally. Inspired by the artist Piet Mondrian\u2019s work, the jersey went through several versions but always retained its timeless class.<\/p>\n

Bernard Hinault rocked it, LeMond graced it, it is without any serious doubt the top Tour jersey of all time.<\/p>\n

\"20090527-santini-la-vie-claire-wonder-look-retro-cycling-jersey\"<\/a><\/p>\n

*this article originally appeared in The Roar<\/a><\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cSon, you\u2019ve done it. The call came through while you were out \u2013 you got a World Tour contract!\u201d \u201cNo! You mean it? Which team?!\u201d \u201cAg2r.\u201d \u201c\u2026Oh\u2026\u201d Yup. That\u2019s right lad. You\u2019ve made the big time, amazing, but, at the same time humiliating. You\u2019re going to have to wear one of the dullest top pro jerseys ever, and, if that wasn\u2019t bad enough, brown shorts. Well, I suppose if you have a \u2018bad peach\u2019 like Greg LeMond did in the 1986 Tour de France, brown shorts might just come in handy. LeMond, stuck near the back of the bunch with a tummy in turmoil, turned to a teammate and said, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40955418,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","wpupg_custom_link":[],"wpupg_custom_link_behaviour":[],"wpupg_custom_link_nofollow":[],"wpupg_custom_image":[],"wpupg_custom_image_id":[],"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[159546164],"tags":[178884424,767233535,195154,9543826,16013],"class_list":["post-2419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-punkopinion","tag-best-rour-de-france-jersey","tag-cycling","tag-jersey","tag-lee-rodgers","tag-worst"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2OfoS-D1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":7542,"url":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2020\/07\/13\/the-badgers-betrayal-tour-de-france-86\/","url_meta":{"origin":2419,"position":0},"title":"The Badger’s Betrayal, Tour de France ’86","author":"Lee Rodgers","date":"7\u6708 13, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cIn the midst of competition, Hinault attempted to snatch victory like a furious, clawing rodent\u2026 he acted not only for himself but for a nation horrified that its great race might be hijacked by an American outlaw.\u201d\u00a0 Rolling Stone, 1986 Stage 11, 1986 Tour de France. 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This featured the combustible-looking, three-time Tour winner Greg LeMond chatting to a host of the Tour\u2019s personalities. One day\u2026","rel":"","context":"dopepunk","block_context":{"text":"dopepunk","link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/category\/dopepunk\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/ntsZcWhNoZs\/0.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":8727,"url":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2021\/05\/04\/beginners-guide-to-watching-a-grand-tour\/","url_meta":{"origin":2419,"position":4},"title":"Beginner’s Guide to Watching a Grand Tour","author":"Lee Rodgers","date":"5\u6708 4, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Confused by bike races? All your questions answered here!","rel":"","context":"Grand Tours","block_context":{"text":"Grand Tours","link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/category\/grand-tours\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/6ed74-screenshot-2021-05-04-at-22.46.54.png?fit=1008%2C660&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/6ed74-screenshot-2021-05-04-at-22.46.54.png?fit=1008%2C660&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/6ed74-screenshot-2021-05-04-at-22.46.54.png?fit=1008%2C660&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/6ed74-screenshot-2021-05-04-at-22.46.54.png?fit=1008%2C660&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1116,"url":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/2012\/12\/04\/lemond-throws-his-stetson-into-the-ring\/","url_meta":{"origin":2419,"position":5},"title":"Lemond throws his stetson into the ring","author":"Lee Rodgers","date":"12\u6708 4, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Greg Lemond for UCI president? is somebody scripting this? as a rider he was the first (and now only - ah, the irony) American winner of the Tour de France, the man who returned from death's door after being shot in the heart to win a second and third Tour,\u2026","rel":"","context":"dopepunk","block_context":{"text":"dopepunk","link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/category\/dopepunk\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/crankpunk.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/th.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Lee Rodgers","author_link":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/author\/crankpunk\/"},"rttpg_comment":3,"rttpg_category":"punkopinion<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"\u201cSon, you\u2019ve done it. The call came through while you were out \u2013 you got a World Tour contract!\u201d \u201cNo! You mean it? Which team?!\u201d \u201cAg2r.\u201d \u201c\u2026Oh\u2026\u201d Yup. That\u2019s right lad. You\u2019ve made the big time, amazing, but, at the same time humiliating. You\u2019re going to have to wear one of the dullest top pro…","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/40955418"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2419"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16857,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2419\/revisions\/16857"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/crankpunk.com\/ja\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}