Jersey Boys, an Addendum

Well, it just goes to show the power of the written word.

After reading my review of their team jerseys, Garmin Cervélo and Team Sky have gone back to the drawing board (or hired new designers) and changed things up so they no longer look exactly the same.

Garmin Cervélo have jumped from black all the way across the Pantone book to white, citing the fact that white will be much cooler in the July heat. (Not to mention the fact that black attracts mosquitoes like crazy.)

MUCH better. They have also embraced their inner argyle once more, a smart move, considering its uniqueness and Britishy poshness. This is the jersey they should have had in the first place.

Team Sky’s change from matchy-matchy black and blue to green on green, and the subsequent rationale is a little suspect in my books.

“As a team we saw the opportunity to change our bikes and kit to green as the perfect way to raise awareness of Sky Rainforest Rescue amongst the Tour de France’s millions of world wide fans.”

Right. Because Tour de France fans are all about the rainforest. Especially the French. In fact, just seeing this jersey on Bradley Wiggins makes me want to stop typing and make a donation. Which is the other thing that kind of stinks – Team Sky will only save the trees if you do – matching dollar for dollar (or pound for pound if you prefer) donations that they receive from their adoring fans. Sorry, we’re broke after paying for Landis’s legal bills.

Sky going green smacks a bit of an attention-getting cliché – but hey, if they do raise some money for the rainforest, great. But if you really want to go green, how about ditching those newly-painted (green of course) team cars and bus in favour of something greener, like say, bicycles.

Having said that, do I like the new new jerseys? Yes… yes I do. I think they are sweet.

While I am delighted that these two teams took my advice and changed their jerseys so we could tell them apart while watching the Tour, I do wish they would have consulted me about the proper way to spin the story. I am of the mind that cycling needs to turn its image around with a healthy dose of honesty, so perhaps the press releases should have merely said:  “We fucked up, but we fixed it. Thanks Cycle Chick!”

You’re welcome.