Best and Worst National Champs jerseys

[Bye Bye Bicycle]

 

[rote_laterne]

The eagle looks good at the front. On the back however it looks like a target.

I do like Mullens jersey.

 

[Dazed and Confused]

I like Zoidl's jersey, big step up for trek on some of the fundamentals: nat jerseys, bike colour. Now we just need a better standard jersey design. Maybe next year.

 

[will10]

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

The eagle looks good at the front. On the back however it looks like a target.

I do like Mullens jersey.

It's a great jersey, but it's not Mullen's one. It belongs to the other national champion on An Post, Siskevicius of Lithuania. An Post, for some unknown reason, have had a whole bunch of Lithuanian riders. Most notably Gediminas Bagdonas, who they signed with some other Lithuanian because they were doing well on the Belgian elite national scene. He then won seven metric tons of .2 races for them before signing for Ag2r and becoming a competent but mostly invisible domestique. This year they also have Kruopis, most recently of Orica-Greenedge. Presumably Kruopis fancies his chances of emulating Bagdonas, smashing up the Conti level races and getting back to the WT.

2 national champions from countries with actual high level WT pros isn't bad for a Conti team.

 

[42x16ss]

It's a great jersey, but it's not Mullen's one. It belongs to the other national champion on An Post, Siskevicius of Lithuania. An Post, for some unknown reason, have had a whole bunch of Lithuanian riders. Most notably Gediminas Bagdonas, who they signed with some other Lithuanian because they were doing well on the Belgian elite national scene. He then won seven metric tons of .2 races for them before signing for Ag2r and becoming a competent but mostly invisible domestique. This year they also have Kruopis, most recently of Orica-Greenedge. Presumably Kruopis fancies his chances of emulating Bagdonas, smashing up the Conti level races and getting back to the WT.

2 national champions from countries with actual high level WT pros isn't bad for a Conti team.

Kruopis shouldn't have too many issues smashing the smaller races, he was very successful for Orica at various .1 races around Europe. He did have some trouble with the better sprinters at HC/WT races though.

 

[Zinoviev Letter]

Kruopis shouldn't have too many issues smashing the smaller races, he was very successful for Orica at various .1 races around Europe. He did have some trouble with the better sprinters at HC/WT races though.

Yes. I'd expect him to rack up the wins this year. He should be clear leader for any race he wants - Bennett and Archbold are with Bora now, while Eeckhout is a DS. They were the leaders since Bagdonas moved on. Mullen is a huge talent, but a kid and a TT specialist anyway. Kruopis should be on a different level to most of the competition at .2 or even .1 level.

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

I thought the UCI had very strict rules about the Rainbow stripes on a white jersey: what is this kit about?

 

[Armchair Cyclist]

Synergy Baku

Easy to see that they are national champions: hard to tell where of unless you are within about 5 yards.

(Slovenia and Azerbaijan)

 

[NairoQ]

I thought the UCI had very strict rules about the Rainbow stripes on a white jersey: what is this kit about?

Once they notice, he'll probably have to get another jersey and pay a fine on top of it. Isn't that how it works?

 

[Ricco']

Once they notice, he'll probably have to get another jersey and pay a fine on top of it. Isn't that how it works?

It's a training kit.

 

[NairoQ]

Fair enough.

 

[lemon cheese cake]

I thought the UCI had very strict rules about the Rainbow stripes on a white jersey: what is this kit about?

That is just a training one. He was spotted wearing a proper one:

 

[Afrank]

Nibali is the current Italian national champion and after a polemic in Italy about the limited nature of the red, white and green colours on his sky blue Astana jersey, he has insisted the 'tricolore' band goes all the way around his jersey, making it easier to spot him in the peloton. Nibali will wear the special jersey until the 2015 Italian national championships are held on a hilly course near Turin at the end of June.

It's so much better! ...not.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gallery-nibali-and-astana-show-off-their-2015-colours

 

[lemon cheese cake]

It's so much better! ...not.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gallery-nibali-and-astana-show-off-their-2015-colours

I think they're trying to see why there is blue in the Italian flag.

 

[roundabout]

Well, now the team us called Trek they seem to be able to make good national jerseys rathee than the ones by Leopard and Radioshack.

eh, the second iteration of his champions jersey from last year was absolutely fine

 

[jaylew]

It's so much better! ...not.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/gallery-nibali-and-astana-show-off-their-2015-colours

What wrong with it? I absolutely love it. Clearly the Italian National Jersey while incorporating the team design. I think it just looks terrific.

 

[Netserk]

If you're going to make it a band across the chest (though it beats me why you would), at least make it classy:

 

[Afrank]

What wrong with it? I absolutely love it. Clearly the Italian National Jersey while incorporating the team design. I think it just looks terrific.

Should be full tricolor (see Santaromita's from BMC and Orica), and what Netserk said, also...band across chest jersey's are horrible no matter what.

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Some nations do the band across the chest - almost invariably on a simple white jersey. Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Portugal.

Italy can do the big tricolore or can do the bands across the chest. But the problem is not bands across the chest. It's that the jersey is basically an Astana jersey with some bands across the middle. It's indistinct, the same as those hideous Movistar and Radioshack/Leopard ones. Either be a subtle Italian jersey or be a clear one... this is the worst combination of both.

The usual reason is that when the national championship is won by a big marquee rider, there's often a clash, because even if a rider is proud of their achievements, the sponsors often want their colours to be associated with the big name star. Hence why you see Joaquím Rodríguez, Rubén Plaza and José Iván Gutiérrez getting the crazy bright Spanish championships jersey, but Alejandro Valverde getting a plain Caisse d'Epargne jersey with some yellow accents; it was barely clearer than Big Mig's old Banesto jersey. Fränk Schleck's Luxembourg kit and Cancellara's Swiss kit at Radioshack was basically a Radioshack jersey with a little square on the front with the flag on it; Sagan's Cannondale jersey was basically a normal team kit with the black strip coloured red to match the Slovak flag and the national crest. Exceptions are where there is more to gain from being immediately noticeable (Titi Voeckler winning the French nationals ahead of the 2011 Tour, so having the national jersey be immediately recognizable would gain the sponsor more airtime) or where the team is strongly tied to a particular national identity (Orica with the Aussie jersey, Sky with the British one).

 

[del1962]

Some nations do the band across the chest - almost invariably on a simple white jersey. Germany, Great Britain, Austria, Portugal.

Italy can do the big tricolore or can do the bands across the chest. But the problem is not bands across the chest. It's that the jersey is basically an Astana jersey with some bands across the middle. It's indistinct, the same as those hideous Movistar and Radioshack/Leopard ones. Either be a subtle Italian jersey or be a clear one... this is the worst combination of both.

The usual reason is that when the national championship is won by a big marquee rider, there's often a clash, because even if a rider is proud of their achievements, the sponsors often want their colours to be associated with the big name star. Hence why you see Joaquím Rodríguez, Rubén Plaza and José Iván Gutiérrez getting the crazy bright Spanish championships jersey, but Alejandro Valverde getting a plain Caisse d'Epargne jersey with some yellow accents; it was barely clearer than Big Mig's old Banesto jersey. Fränk Schleck's Luxembourg kit and Cancellara's Swiss kit at Radioshack was basically a Radioshack jersey with a little square on the front with the flag on it; Sagan's Cannondale jersey was basically a normal team kit with the black strip coloured red to match the Slovak flag and the national crest. Exceptions are where there is more to gain from being immediately noticeable (Titi Voeckler winning the French nationals ahead of the 2011 Tour, so having the national jersey be immediately recognizable would gain the sponsor more airtime) or where the team is strongly tied to a particular national identity (Orica with the Aussie jersey, Sky with the British one).

I guess Cav in the British Jersey is an exception

 

[Libertine Seguros]

In fairness, that is a completely unnecessary outfit there. He's never won the TT nationals, therefore there is absolutely no reason for him to have a national champion skinsuit.

If I were president of the UCI, that would carry a two year ban.

 

[Samson777]

In fairness, that is a completely unnecessary outfit there. He's never won the TT nationals, therefore there is absolutely no reason for him to have a national champion skinsuit.

If I were president of the UCI, that would carry a two year ban.

Would be fun if you were the president of the UCI...

 

[Libertine Seguros]

Would be fun if you were the president of the UCI...

Skinsuits in road races and ugly helmets are as bad for the sport as doping, so should carry equal bans.

Any young aspiring cyclist who looks at racing and sees one of those Cannondale-Garmin POC helmets and skinsuits being worn in road racing is going to give up, and instead do something a bit more dignified and respectable, like professional wrestling or mascot racing.

 

[42x16ss]

In fairness, that is a completely unnecessary outfit there. He's never won the TT nationals, therefore there is absolutely no reason for him to have a national champion skinsuit.

If I were president of the UCI, that would carry a two year ban.

Skinsuit/critsuits are totally unnecessary IMO. The pockets are generally too tight and don't fit enough to be useful for a long race and they're a b!tch when you need a nature break. I've tried a critsuit twice and gave it away, I don't get the fascination with the stupid things.

Just use a jersey and knicks that are slightly too small.