MOVISTAR
After Caisse d'Epargne departed last year, we were treated to the lime and navy kit accented with white. A little more white appears along the opposite side panel of the jersey, but otherwise little has changed from last year.
The personnel changes are more intriguing than the kit changes. Vuelta champion J.J. Cobo has come aboard after the dissolution of Geox-TMC and Alejandro Valverde has returned from a 2 year suspension imposed by the Court for Arbitration for Sport.
OMEGA PHARMA QUICKSTEP
Huh? After the OmegaPharma-Lotto breakup, Pharma courted Quickstep and we now have a team name with seven syllables. We also have lost the classic royal blue and white Quickstep kit, replaced by a powder blue and black number that frankly works. Very well. It's classy, it's simple and it's easy to spot in a group.
Along with a new kit and new sponsors, new riders are on hand as well. Levi Leipheimer comes aboard along with World TT champion Tony Martin. Watch for Levi and Der Panzerwagen to dominate the TTs while Tom Boonen makes another Paris Roubaix/Vlaanderen run along with Sylvain Chavanel.
RADIOSHACK-NISSAN
The biggest merger of the year was obviously the Leopard/Radioshack merger, bringing Johan Bruyneel, Chris Horner, US Champion Matt Busche and Ben King together with Fabian “Sparticus” Cancellara, the Schleck brothers, Jakob Fuglsang, Lombardia winner Oliver Zaugg and the man who defined “hardman” Jens Voigt. The old (ugly) Radioshack kits got the merger treatment as well, mating the black/white/baby blue Leopard colors with yellow Livestrong bands and a red band containing the Radioshack logo.
While the kit is definitely an improvement, everyone now appears to be Luxembourg national champion, and the actual national champion jerseys (seen briefly in some presentation shots) look a little funky. No matter, we'll see quite a lot of them this year, and they're not the worst kit out there (thanks 1T4I.)
SAXO BANK
Team Saxo Bank. Very bold. Very dark. Very blue. The “crotch eagle” has returned, and the name written across the shoulders will make sure you NEVER mistake this rider for anyone else. Of course Alberto Contador (if he's not sanctioned for doping charges) will be on the front of the Tour de France with this kit.
VACANSOLEIL-DCM
Vacansoleil-DCM has revamped their reputation by firing (probably guilty doper) Eziekel Mosquera and firing (just plain idiot doper) Riccardo Ricco. They've also redesigned their kit to better integrate the white DCM panel. While the design IS better, someone needs to point out the awful arm and waist cuffs that not only squeeze like a sausage casing, but they don't match the colors on the rest of the kit.
Really, it's too bad they didn't go back to the 2010 kit, with navy and royal blue and bright golden yellow. That kit was sharp, to say the least.
Liquigas Cannondale
Ivan Basso has two grand tour wins. Vincenzo Nibali has one. Peter Sagan is one of the most exciting fast finishers (maybe even classics riders?) to come around in a long time. Sylvester Szmyd is the consummate lieutenant. The jersey hasn't changed much (some new highlights on the front and a more “Radioshack-esque” redesign on the back) and neither has the formula for success. Lime and white should be big at the Giro this year.
Teams missing right now are BMC, AG2R, Euskaltel Euskadi, FDJ-BigMat, Rabobank and Sky.
Thoughts? Comments? Drop a line and start the discussion.
