What is it with Latin American women’s teams? Back in 2014, one from a Colombian made the news with a kit that seemed to have a nude panel on it, while this year a team from Argentina has not only one of the brightest kits we’ve seen, but one that at first glance seems to be based on a cutaway anatomical model.
The kit belongs to UCI Continental team Xirayas de San Luis, shown in the picture above at the presentation of the Tour Femenino de San Luis 2016. As a description of the kit goes, it’s difficult to top this one from VeloNews journalist Dan Wuori.
The kit does seem to be a hit with fans, though – currently, it is in second place on a poll on the blog Prowomenscycling.com for the best kit outside the UCI Women’s WorldTour.
In September 2014, the Colombian IDRD-Bogota Humana-San Mateo-Solgar women's team found itself at the centre of a storm as a result of this photo taken at the Giro della Toscana.
The picture went viral and even UCI president Brian Cookson chipped in, saying on Twitter “It is unacceptable by any standard of decency.”
It turned out however that the seemingly flesh coloured panel was in fact gold – the photograph had simply been taken in poor light.
The kit itself was designed by one of the team’s riders, Angie Tatiana Rojas, who explained that the colours chosen were simply "to highlight our team's sponsors, that was always the goal" and that neither she nor her team mates were embarrassed to wear it.
She added: "As an athlete, as a woman, as the cyclist that I am, I wouldn't be ashamed with this kind of design."
> Video: Colombian riders "not ashamed" of That Kit
Similarly the 2015 Xirayas de San Luis kit, shown below, could also appear flesh coloured, depending on the light ... not an accusation that can be levelled at this season’s outfit.
On closer inspection though, that’s an optical illusion on last year’s kit, which has a Missoni-inspired zig-zag motif.
Of course, it’s not just in women’s cycling that kits can attract attention and even ridicule – remember Footon-Servetto’s gold kit with the giant black foot on it?
Which kits – men’s or women’s – do you remember as being particularly striking for their design, good or bad?
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4 comments
I think I can see a penis.
It's less boring than most any of the other team's kits, I like it.
Men don't have much room to criticize, IMO. Regardless of the color of mens' kits they're inevitably giving an anatomy lesson of their own.
That is a good looking kit.
And they look fast even standing still.
Why are we always judging garments?
Let them use whatever they want.
I like the colors and the moto behind it.